

* vo <x * uy - * vu * 

•> * >6.di^v3 c <Ot/. rv^&y|S§f * *iyOx ♦ 

- ^ ^<K *1v V ^ ^ * * '#t 

- <»k • V-* ;jiis; V* .-Jfe •. rjSft,; \<* 


“WlW‘ *llllf* 

X-f/<&*&%. 


&%> \ 


y * 


,\-..*v> 0 „.., v • • V!- *••. 

% o 4* ^.jsstL^ V. _ & *M%Z* 


«s*i. *><f • mM'* °v °<^fia. vo* *mm* 

WJB* £°* ‘ #11%° *°Vv v31P’ <^°^ - wl 
V* f jflte t \/ : ^4's W /jfjtl 

< v C 5 ,J JV ’IKlf* °oWllW* 


o0^1^^° ,l >^ tONO 

O 


^ »;^p/ ^ % °y&Pj 

ft'* X * ~ ’ " 4 r n c °n C * ^f> "* * * * « LI *> ^k-,* 0 * (£* c oN c J| 

G U *agtM 2 h>% o 4 * ».«$*** <L G° o 4 ^ 

W ;||1|; ^ <W :M|»; W /4§te 

Sfe*, Av/a*v -* jfe s 


F/ ^ v \ w/Alw ** v \ V 






v y\°^ ^ v \. 

'q-^* ’• , *«°'Jb' 0 * c OK0« ^ ^ ’ 4 o^° « t, *«\^ ,f0 * l ‘‘ 4 <^' 

C y a, v ^ /y>», •* y~\ .-b’ * ^ <? v? /-O .^» -- -by^ 

; • aafr/yPz, -? ^ /A + r w x G * ferfu/sbC* ' 

^ -w 




, <^//,n^ x, -xr ^ v. 5 %Q1\ N ^>“ ^ ❖ ci^ ** y- 

.V*" «* * • X^- oo > o0 ^. JS?'-" •< 
vVitfA/^r ^ 




; <W ^ o'^^tek-. v 

; <?°+ 

*4? °° 


o9 


VVM^/:«tVVi 


O 

,v 


O N G 


«— /<^ \\ 
L. V 



w 

o Jk*. *W ' 


t>\ o»; 

-.\*--“t> 

%°o 


v t>J+^W*r£ '£’ *o V^fPv o' 

>»■■ *Vo * * 'X ,5 "°;ov 

h VwVjfc;W/(S 

O <*.?„ 5 - ,VA J _ V 


t* r ** 4 ? :« W “MSI*. ^ ;i 

P» * eWlf ° ^ 5 ‘\ l \ %lifiv ’ , 

k V* c«-,> * * • *>V^* V * 1 >\^S J 

^.'MV :m- \/ /». "■ 


i>l °4§f|&« vo* *j 

i.- 0 o ! - 0 V*.W/\''- 


^,-c 

ov 

&•&';•' ’. yy 

\ W .'A-* 

o cfb<Jjp o 

» .V -?Y o ‘U/J8AK 4. AV v 
*\<£- ^ 


V V 

‘o % <A * % 

O O 


f„- <j>-v * I|i§? * ^'V ^ 

«i) * « *v*<v <? *y®r>.jf ^,», 

»o°v^>c 


S /\ /vsfr\ S 

** rv^ > ^' 5 ^\** ^ O 

* * CV^v 0 ** * o. V'm * v* * * *\'**°y?s 

•A;V - 4 ;|fts W • Jfe; W ;| 

l^fp.- X\ ^WA/\w-‘ : /V'; 
s v--' .-.,V' ’ y '^£:\°’ > 

: °hf :'4Mi- V •*'; %f :!Sl': % 

































































ABBOTT’S 

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF 

ROPE T RIC K c 


Compiled By 

STEWART JAMES 

(l 


Illustrations By 

SID LORRAINE 

and HOWARD MELSON 


Published By 

ABBOTT’S 
MAGIC NOVELTY CO. 

COLON, MICHIGAN 




and MOB, Collection 

©tv-ort. W. 


PuhUihesi'i. tyotew&ui 

We are indeed happy to present to the Magic Fraternity 
the Encyclopedia of Rope Tricks as an authoritative and com¬ 
prehensive work on the Art of Rope Magic — the most com¬ 
plete reference on this subject extant. 

To those who have eagerly awaited its publication, we 
believe we are giving them a work that was worth waiting for. 

In producing this volume, we have striven to make it a 
real compendium of rope tricks — not merely a collection of 
rope effects, but rather a reference work as complete and in¬ 
formative as possible. This we feel confident has been 
achieved. 

Many months have been spent in research and the com¬ 
pilation necessary to give workers in the realm of magic the 
best of rope effects that through repetition have become 
standard — classics if you will — also others not so well 
known, and some that appear in print for the first time. All 
of these effects represent the cream of the crop in this branch 
of the magic art. 

Grouping of the various tricks and their variations has 
been made in such a manner and carefully indexed as to make 
every item easily accessible. 

It is our sincere hope that this work will provide magicians 
— professional and amateur — with pleasure in the reading 
and profit in performance through the addition to their reper¬ 
toires of some of the rope tricks contained in this volume. 

With this thought we leave you to the perusal and study 
of the effects of the master workers in rope magic. 

Percy Abbott 


Colon, Michigan. 






















. 























































We Dedicate 


THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF 
ROPE TRICKS 

to 

Dr. Harlan Tarbell 


who unquestionably is responsible for the 
present-day popularity of Rope Magic. 


The Tarbell Rope Trick is a classic in this field of 
magic endeavor — one that will endure for many years 
to come — and its originator merits a profound salaam 
for this effect, aside from continued acclaim for his 
many contributions to magic in general. 


















































































I 
















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


INDEX 

Publisher s Foreword . 3 

Dedication . 5 

CHAPTER ONE. KNOTS 

G. W. Hunter’s Puzzle Knot.17 

The One Hand Knot.19 

The Flip Knot.20 

T he Lightning Knot.20 

Two At a Time .21 

The Knot of Enchantment.21 

Any Number of Knots.23 

Guarding the Line .24 

Adolph Ferber’s Spectre Tie.25 

The Vanishing Square Knot.2 7 

Ralph Hull’s Famous Vanishing Knot.2 7 

Chefalo’s Vanishing Knot .30 

The Captive Knot.31 

The Magic Shoe Laces.32 

John Braun Combination Knot.34 

Wholesale Knot Removal.35 

Gone Again .35 

Visibly .36 

C. T. Jordan’s Mystifying Knot Trick.36 

CHAPTER TWO. PENETRATIONS (Two Ropes) 

Ropes Through the Neck.41 

Venable’s Improved Ropes Through Neck.42 

The Ropes and Rings Mystery .44 


7 


























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


INDEX 

S. Collins’ Ropes and Rings Release.45 

Relue’s Ropes and Cups.48 

Oriental or Simplicity Rope Release.48 

Walking Through Ropes..49 

The 3-in-1 Ropes.49 

Adolph Ferber’s Mimi-Cords.50 

CHAPTER THREE. PENETRATIONS (One Rope) 

Loop the Loop .55 

The Leg Tie.55 

Nevil Maskelyne’s Leg Tie.5 7 

Tenkai’s Rope Through Neck .58 

New Rope Through Neck.59 

The Handkerchief Release.61 

Jay-Bee’s Undisturbed Knot.63 

The Vest Turning Trick.65 

The Ring on the Rope.67 

The Ring Knotted on the Rope.67 

Puzzling Ring on the Rope .68 

The New Ring on Rope.68 

Slater’s Ring on the Rope.70 

Borrowed Ring on the Rope.71 

The “Cheeky” Rope and Ring Trick.71 

E. S. Rope and Ring Trick.72 

The Dropping Ring.74 

Wholesale Ring Removal .76 

Leedy’s Ropo Ringo . 77 

Jordan’s Psychic Ring Release.78 

Eddie Joseph’s Ringed.80 


a 





























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


INDEX 

Adams’ Rope and Ring Experiment .82 

The Rope Through the Stick.85 

Grant’s Witch’s Broom .86 

Cutting a Woman in Half.86 

CHAPTER FOUR. CUT AND RESTORED CORD 

Famous Kellar String Trick .91 

Germaine’s String Restoration .93 

Berg’s Japanese Paper String Restoration .94 

Figure Eight Restoration .96 

Simple String Restoration .98 

Twyno .99 

Impromptu String Restoration.101 

Eddie Joseph’s Restored String.103 

Ovette’s Supreme String Mystery.105 

Christianer’s Favorite String Trick.106 

Master Cut and Restored String.. 1 07 

Blodgett s Double Restoration .109 

L. W. Package Cord Mystery.Ill 

Le-Roy’s Hindoo Yarn Mystery .113 

Stanyon’s String Restoration .113 

T. P. Wright’s Variation.114 

Rupert Slater’s Variation .115 

Baffling String Restoration .116 

Wisenheimer String Restoration .117 

Kolar’s Straw and String Trick.118 

Hahne’s Version .121 

George Wright’s Version .123 

Thayer’s Wizzo .123 

L. W. Restoring the String .126 


9 






























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


INDEX 

CHAPTER FIVE. CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 
(Impromptu) 

Figure “8” Rope Restoration .129 

The “Hindoo” Rope Restoration.129 

Bluey-Bluey’s Method .131 

Impey’s Impromptu Method.132 

Dr. Ervin’s Rope Restoration .134 

Sterling’s Short and Long Rope Trick.136 

R. Hull’s Stretching Rope .143 

Sharpe’s a Rope Repaired .149 

Goodrum’s Sleight of Hand Method.131 

Adams’ Cut and Restored Rope.152 

Verheyden’s Method .154 

Tarbell’s “Many-Cut” Rope Mystery.157 

Zenith Impromptu Rope Restoration .160 

Grant’s 1933 Rope Trick.162 

Carl Brema’s Knotted Rope .164 

Grant’s Sleight of Hand Rope Trick.165 

Heisey’s Hindu Rope Trick.169 

CHAPTER SIX. CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 
(Unprepared Rope) 

L. W. Simplicity Rope Restoration .179 

L. W. Tug O’ War.182 

L. W. Vinculum .182 

L. W. Gloved Deception.184 

L. W. Restoring the Rope.185 

Bert Douglas’ Magic Skipping Rope.188 


10 

























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


INDEX 

Ringing the Bull .192 

Jamison’s Severed Rope.195 

Baffleso! ... 1 9 7 

Grant’s Stage Rope Restoration.200 

Scotty Lang’s Sucker Rope Trick.201 

L. W. The Lost Chord .204 

Will Brema’s Convincing Rope Trick .206 

Aladdin Oriental Gimmick .*. .2 I 2 

Liddle’s Phenomenal Rope Trick.215 

L. W. Chased.218 

CHAPTER SEVEN. CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 
(Prepared Rope) 

L. W. Marking the Center.223 

R. Hull s Marked Rope and Thumb Tack.224 

Grant s Super Rope Trick.2 32 

Clarke s Little Rhody Rope Trick .234 

The Tarbell Rope Mystery .242 

Captain Jones’ Rope Trick .2 72 

Nowroji’s Restoration .2 72 

Ball Them Up ..2 73 

Nichol s Nu-Cut Rope Trick.275 

Doc Nixon’s Rope Mystery .277 

The Encore Rope Trick.277 

Douglas Variations..2 79 

Asbury’s Variation .283 

Dr. Cairy’s Follow Me Rope Routine.284 

Winston Freer’s Suggestion .289 

Reilly’s Rope Trick .289 


11 




























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


INDEX 

Eddie Clever’s Triple Cut Routine.298 

Jeudevine’s Rope Routine .300 

The Baker Takes a Cut .301 

L. W. The Great Divide.303 

Gessing-Gordon Rope Trick.305 

Bjorklund’s Slow Motion Restoration.306 

Marvel Cut and Restored Rope.308 

The “J. M.” Rope Trick.311 

Burling Hull s Miracle Restoration .315 

Fleming’s Cut Yourself a Piece of Rope.327 

L. W. Double Restoration .335 

L. W. Zenith Rope Restoration .337 

Maxam Triple Cut Rope Trick .340 

CHAPTER EIGHT. MISCELLANEOUS ROPE 
TRICKS 

Stabbing the Loop . 349 

The Bachelor’s Needle .350 

Same Ring — Same Finger.353 

Davis’ “Sinbad’s Rope’’ .355 

Berson’s Miracle Rope Growth . 356 

Freer’s Alagen Rope. 358 

Freer’s Master Muscle .359 

Freer’s Tug-of-War Rope .360 

The Hypnotized Rope.361 

Grant and Maillow’s Ropes of Bengal.362 

Hanson’s Climax Rope Trick .366 

Percy Abbott’s “Easy-Do” Rope Trick.370 

Grant’s Amazing Rope Secret.371 


12 




























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


INDEX 

CHAPTER NINE. THE HINDOO ROPE TRICK 

Slater’s Moth and Rope .377 

The Pocket Hindoo Rope Trick .381 

The Vanishing Boy .382 

Dunninger’s East Indian Rope Trick.385 

Svengali’s Rope Climbing Trick of India.388 

Wright’s Indian Rope Trick.391 

Devant’s Hindoo Rope Trick .394 

Illustrations Section .403 


3 






































CHAPTER 1 

KNOTS 


































































































































































. 






























































• 













ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Chapter 1. KNOTS 

G. W. HUNTER'S PUZZLE KNOT 

You are probably familiar with the quite ancient 
puzzle where you would be given a rope to hold, one 
end in each hand, and would be challenged to tie a 
knot therein without releasing either end. This was 
accomplished by folding the arms BEFORE picking up 
the rope. The simple act of unfolding the arms pro- 



17 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

duces a knot in I he rope. This “catch” might well 
serve as an introduction to the following really baf¬ 
fling trick. 

The performer holds a rope as in Fig. 1. The use 
of a ring, as illustrated, is an effective addition. He 
states that he will tie the ring on the rope without re¬ 
leasing either end. Impossible as that seems, that is 
apparently what happens and the result is depicted in 

Fig. 2. 

The first move is clearly shown in Fig. 3. The 
right hand goes into the loop as indicated by the ar¬ 
row. Its further progress is shown in Fig. 4 and the 
result of these moves is to have an arrangement as in 
Fig. 3. If the hands were brought together and the 
loops dropped off the wrists, you would return to the 
position shown in Fig. 1. 

To produce the knot it is necessary to secretly 
make an additional move. As the hands are brought 
together, to drop off the loops that encircle them, the 
backs are uppermost as in Fig. 6. The right hand re¬ 
leases end A and regains it again at point B after it 
has passed through loop C. Fig. 7 is of further assist¬ 
ance in understanding this move. 

The dropping of the loops, the releasing and re¬ 
gaining of end A, and the separating of the hands to 
the position in Fig. 2, all blend together in one con¬ 
tinuous movement. When properly made, it is ab¬ 
solutely indetectible. 

An interesting presentation is to give a spectator 
a similar length of rope and have him try to do as you 
do. You get a knot but he does not although he will 
believe that he did exactly as you did. This is one 
trick that may be safely repeated. 


18 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


A further surprise for the spectator is when you 
slowly and deliberately weave the rope into the posi¬ 
tion illustrated in Fig. 5. It is evident to the most 
critical that there has been no trickery. Instead of pro¬ 
ceeding as previously, direct the spectator to grasp the 
two ends of the rope and pull it from your wrists. 
Imagine his surprise when he sees the knot forming 
before his very eyes. 

This climax is produced with little or no effort on 
your part. Once the rope is in position Fig. 5, the act 
of removal by some other person is all that is needed 
to create the knot. The secret move must not be made. 

Some performers have the ends of the rope tied 
around their thumbs, to preclude any thought of manip¬ 
ulation, up to the point where the rope is removed by 
a spectator. 


THE ONE HAND KNOT 

A two foot length of rope is sufficient to demon¬ 
strate this feat of dexterity. Extend the right hand 
vertically in front of the body, thumb upwards and 
resting lightly against the first finger. Lay' the middle 
of the rope over the second joint of the thumb. That 
portion of the rope that lies across the palm is clipped 
between the third and little finger. Turn the hand 
palm downwards. Grasp the end of the rope that 
crosses the back of the hand between the thumb and 
forefinger, quickly snap the hand, first down and then 
up, and the rope will drop out straight with a single 
knot neatly formed at about the middle. 

The rapid down and up movement serves to cover 
the action. It is best concluded by tossing the rope in 


19 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


the air on the upward swing and catching it, to display 
the knot, as it falls. 

THE FLIP KNOT 

Both ends of the rope are held in the right hand. 
The rope is snapped in the air at the same time as one 
end is released. A single knot is disclosed near the end 
of the rope. 

The knot is secretly tied in advance about three 
inches from one end. The rope may vary considerably 
in length but four or five feet is about the most effec¬ 
tive. The thumb, first and second fingers of the left 
hand effectually conceal the knot as the rope is held up 
to display. In taking the rope by the right hand, it is 
clipped between the first and second fingers with the 
knot again safely concealed behind them and toward 
the palm. 

The other end of the rope is brought up and held 
between the first finger and thumb. As you snap the 
rope, you release this end. Appear surprised that 
nothing happened and again place it between first finger 
and thumb. Repeat the second time but at the third 
attempt you retain this end and allow the knotted end, 
from between the first and second finger, to fly in the 
air. Of course, this time it bears a knot. 

THE LIGHTNING KNOT 

One end of the rope is clipped between the thumb 
and first finger of the right hand. Allow about four 
or five inches to extend over the back of the hand. The 
other end of the rope is clipped between the thumb and 
first finger of the left hand but in a directly opposite 


20 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


manner. I he main body of the rope passes across the 
back of the hand and four or five inches extend across 
the palm. 

Bring the hands together, fingers pointed toward 
each other, and the right hand nearest the body. Left 
first and second fingers clip the end of the rope hanging 
over the back of right hand, and the right first and 
second fingers clip the end of rope that is hanging across 
the palm of left hand. On parting the hands, the knot 
appears at the center of the rope. 

TWO AT A TIME 

The hands are held about fifteen inches apart, 
palms up, arms half bent, and the rope lying across the 
wrists with an equal amount hanging down at both 
sides. 

Turn the hands toward each other, at the same 
time turning them over, so that by the time they have 
made one complete revolution the backs will be upper¬ 
most and the ends of the rope will be hanging over that 
portion stretching horizontally between. 

Grasp one end in each hand, let the loops drop off 
and two knots will appear evenly spaced from the 
center. 


THE KNOT OF ENCHANTMENT 

This is a feat that the average scientist will say is 
contrary to the laws of nature and utterly impossible. 
The principle on which it is performed is very little 
understood. The conjurer has a piece of rope at least 
three feet long which he allows to be examined. The 
ends of the rope are then tied to his wrists and, if the 


21 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


spectators are particularly suspicious, the knots may 
be sealed with wax, so that, if they are tampered with, 
the audience will find it out. (Figure 8.) 



Now the performer announces that he will cause 
a genuine knot to appear on the rope, without disturb¬ 
ing the knots or removing the rope from his wrists. 
He turns his back to the spectators for a moment, and 
when again he faces them the knot—a plain, ordinary 
slipknot—has been tied in the rope. The knots on the 
wrists are undisturbed. (Figure 11.) 

The secret depends upon a clever bit of manipula¬ 
tion of the rope. As soon as his back is turned the 
magician seizes the center of the rope in his right hand. 
He twists the rope twice around, forming a loop in the 
center of the rope. Holding his left hand before him, 
palm upward, he now thrusts the loop he has made 
under the rope around his left wrist. (Figure 9.) As 
it emerges on his palm, he passes his left hand com¬ 
pletely through the loop. Reaching to the back of his 


22 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


left hand, he pushes the loop under the rope on the back 
of the wrist, just as he had done before on the other 
side. (Figure 10.) As the loop comes through, it has 
formed itself into a large knot which can be drawn tight, 
when it will be found to fit exactly in the center of the 
rope. (Figure 11.) 

This may sound difficult, but in reality it is very 
simple, and will be found so after a little experimenting. 

ANY NUMBER OF KNOTS 

A rope is coiled and dropped on the floor. The 
magician grasps one end and quickly raises it. 1 he 
rope now bears several knots. 

The result is obtained entirely from the method 
used in coiling the rope. The magician takes the rope 
in his right hand at a position of about one foot from 
the end. (Figure 12.) The left hand now takes up 



23 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


a loop of the rope in the manner shown in Figure 1 3. 
It is passed over the hand as shown in Figure 1 4. He 
does this with every loop made, and it will now be 
found that, at the conclusion of the coiling, when the 
end of the rope is reached, if the original end, first held 
in the hand, be passed through all the loops, the result 
will be to tie as many knots in the rope as there were 
loops made. (Figure I 3.) 

All that remains is to drop the coiled rope on the 
floor and later grasp the original end and jerk it in the 
air. 

A variation is to make three loops in the rope and 
have a volunteer hold one end in each hand with the 
most part hanging behind his back. Force a three spot 
from a deck of cards on a second volunteer. Have first 
volunteer face the audience and you step behind him. 
The value of the selected card is now revealed and you 
tie that many knots in the rope without volunteer re¬ 
leasing either end. Worked in this manner, you ap¬ 
parently do not know the number of knots to be tied 
until AFTER the ends are firmly held. 

Sometimes the rope is lowered in a basket or urn, 
the original end never going out of sight, and is raised 
again bearing the knots. 

GUARDING THE LINE 

This more closely resembles a seance test than a 
magician’s trick. Each end of a lengthy rope is se¬ 
curely tied to the wrist of some volunteer, and sealed. 
The two volunteers stand at some distance from each 
other and the lights are extinguished. There are sev¬ 
eral knots on the rope when the lights are again snapped 


24 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


on and the volunteers will insist that the ends of 
the rope have remained firmly fastened to their wrists 
throughout. 

When the lights are extinguished, the medium 
picks up the coiled center portion of the rope and holds 
it in his right hand.. Going to one of his volunteers, 
he slips it over his head, and allows it to drop to the 
floor,—all unknown to the volunteer, as the magician 
is particularly careful to see that the rope did not touch 
him in its passage to the floor. This volunteer is re¬ 
quested to alter his position a few feet, and he is guided 
to some place where he will be free of the coil. It will 
now be seen that the whole body of one of the volun¬ 
teers has passed through the loops of rope, and there 
are, accordingly, a number of knots formed in the rope 
—as many knots as there were coils in the rope. 

ADOLPH FERBER’S SPECTRE TIE 

In addition to a four foot length of rope, a metal 
tube, three-quarters of an inch in diameter and three 
inches long, is used. 

Magi hands out the apparatus for examination. He 
slips tube on center of rope, has two spectators each 
hold one end of rope, covers the tube and rope and 
explains that with the aid of the long past dead, he 
will tie a knot around tube. He reaches, under the 
cover, makes the motion of tying a knot, and when 
covering is whisked away, a real knot is tied around 
tube. Knot cannot be removed without letting go of 
one end of the rope. 

Shake out rope and double so that center rests over 
forefinger and thumb tip of right hand. Now while 


25 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


you are talking, cross rope right under fingers with aid 
of left hand so that rope on side marked (A) crosses 



over rope on side marked (B). Place little finger of 
right hand under intersection as in illustration. Now 
with all three fingers remaining in position, take part 
of rope darkened in illustration between forefinger and 
thumb which are between loop, and pull rope through 
loop, all the time holding rope under little finger gently 
in left hand. Pull until you have about three or four 
inches of loop left over knot which results. 1 ighten 
knot gently. Now audience sees back of right hand 
holding rope with loop sticking out of top about three 
inches, fingers concealing knot. All these actions take 
place in a few seconds. Now slip tube over center of 
loop and pull rope through top of tube, that is, that 
part of rope that pulls freely through knot. Hold out 
rope with tube in center over knot which audience, of 
course, knows nothing about. Be sure tube conceals 
knot. 

Have two spectators each hold one end of rope, 
throw covering (newspaper, handkerchief or scarf) 
over center and tube, reach under cover and slide tube 
off knot to the left, loosen knot and untie. Be sure to 
have both hands under cover and slide tube off knot to 
the left, loosen knot and push tube through knot until 
you feel knot tied around tube. Tighten knot around 


26 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


tube. Practice this a few times out in the open and 
soon it will be a simple matter to tie knot around tube 
under cover in just a few seconds. Let one of the 
spectators remove cover from rope and be sure and 
satisfy audience by letting several spectators examine 
knot. This has the effect of a small miracle if it is done 
properly. 


THE VANISHING SQUARE KNOT 



Figure 1 7 shows the proper way to tie the square 
knot. The top A and B mark the ends of the rope. If 
you grasp the rope at A-A in one hand and B-B in the 
other and tug with all your strength, you will form 
what seems to be a very hard knot. 

This square knot may be quickly and simply altered 
to a slip knot. All you have to do is take hold of 
the rope at B-B, one portion in each hand, and a quick 
pull will form the knot depicted in Figure 1 8. Study it 
and you will see how the knot may be slid right over 
the end B and off the rope. 

RALPH HULL’S FAMOUS VANISHING KNOT 

This is one of the prettiest little sleights you have 
ever witnessed. It is so clean cut and so convincing 
that hundreds of magicians from all over the world have 
marveled at it. The knot is tied in such a fair manner 
it seems impossible for any trickery to be there, but it’s 
there, just the same. 


27 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The moves for this beautiful effect will be shown 
in detail by a series of illustrations. 

The eight drawings show what almost amounts to 
a slow moving picture of making and vanishing this 
knot. The whole when mastered is one complete 
movement. With a swing of the rope and a movement 
of the hands the knot is tied, placed in the hand, and 
fades away. 

Hold the rope in the palms of the two open hands 
exactly as shown in Figure 1 9. The short end hangs 



over the right hand about 10 inches in length. The 
right hand is closed up and turned to a perpendicular 
position as shown in Figure 20. The left thumb comes 
down on top of the rope to hold it and the left hand 
simply is turned over when the positions shown in 
Figure 20 will be attained. The hand that has been 
partially X-rayed is the right hand. Now the rope is in 


28 















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


such a position that the long end of it may be taken 
hold of by the right thumb and the right forefinger, 
and the long end of the rope just hangs toward the floor 
a portion of it being hidden from sight by passing be¬ 
hind the four fingers of the right hand. This is shown 
exactly in Figure 20. 

Now the left forefinger just reaches forward, going 
under the short end of the rope as shown in Figure 21, 
and it is pulled right on through what is to all appear¬ 
ances, a real loop formation of a knot. Figure 22 
describes better than words the movement of pulling 
the rope right through and shows the right hand as the 
upper one holding what seems to be a perfect knot. 
Figure 23 shows the fake knot exactly as it would ap¬ 
pear if the right thumb were removed from it, but of 
course this is not done at this stage of the game. Now 
the left hand takes hold of the rope about ten inches 
away from the fake knot exactly as shown in Figure 
24 and gradually pulls on the rope, the right thumb 
and forefinger allowing it to slide under the upper fold, 
and at the same time kind of rolling the fake knot a 
little and to all appearances, this just tightens the rope 
up to a real and genuine knot. The right hand throws 
the short end of the rope across the palm of the left 
hand, and deposits the knot right in the center of the 
left palm, the right thumb merely pushing down on 
the lower section of the fake knot to cause it to appear 
real. This exact move is shown in Figure 25. The left 
fingers close on the knot, and the right hand is with¬ 
drawn and takes hold of the short end of the rope and 
left hand turned over (as in Figure 26). All that 
remains to be done is to gently pull with the right hand 
and the knot seems to melt away, as it were. 


29 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


As said before, when this is properly performed it 
is a most bewildering illusion. It’s perfect in every de¬ 
tail and a person may watch it over and over and not 
be able to detect but what it is a real knot that is tied. 

WHEN YOU GET THE KNACK OF IT, THE 
WHOLE OF THE MOVEMENTS JUST DESCRIBED 
ALL BLEND INTO ONE MOVEMENT, and appar¬ 
ently the knot (?) is tied with just a swing of the 
rope and the end pulled through. Practice this until 
you are fully acquainted with it. ^ 


CHEFALO’S VANISHING KNOT 

The knot, with which Chefalo s name has been 
associated for many years is a most interesting one. 

A double knot is tied and one end of the rope is 
threaded back and forth first through one and then the 
other of the loops thus formed. The ends of the rope 
are pulled and the knots dissolve. 

The illustrations leave little to explain. Just be 
sure to follow the various steps exactly as pictured in 



30 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Figures 27, 28, 29 and 30. What will appear as a per¬ 
fectly genuine knot will prove to be as intangible as 
the air. 


THE CAPTIVE KNOT 

A single knot is tied in the center of a rope and 
the ends are tied together with seven or eight more. 
All knots, in this case, may be tied by a volunteer and 
he may try to remove the captive single knot before 
handing it to you. Underneath the cover of a large 
cloth, you quickly remove the knot. 

The apparent removal of the knot is accomplished 
by absurdly simple means. You slip your fingers into 
the loop of the knot, enlarge it and keep slipping the 
knot along the rope until it joins the rest where it ap¬ 
pears to be one of the knots used in tying the ends to¬ 
gether. 


THE MAGIC SHOE LACES 

The following is Ralph Hull s presentation of a 
clever little knot mystery of the late G. W. Hunter. 

First you tie the knot (illustrated in Figures 31 to 
36). Take hold of the two ends of the rope and pull 
and it naturally pulls right out. The next time you tie 
it exactly the same and pull the two ends through the 
loops as illustrated in Figure 37. This makes it appear 
impossible to pull the knot out by pulling on the ends 
of the rope, yet strange to say, in some unaccountable 
manner this very thing happens. 

You can tie the knot up to the point shown in 
Figure 36 in a second s time, after you master the 


31 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



moves. Hold the rope as shown in Figure 31, right 
hand palm down and the left hand palm up, bringing 
them a little nearer each other and Figure 32 will be 
attained. Right index finger reaches over and catches 
end of rope hanging from left hand and the left fore¬ 
finger catches the end of the rope hanging from right 
hand. This movement is shown in F igures 33 and 34. 
The hands are merely pulled apart pulling these two 
ends of rope along, and Figure 33 shows the result. 
Merely by tightening up on the loops (by pulling with 
each hand) Figure 36 is attained. This is a double loop 
that will pull right out if the ends of the rope are pulled. 
That is what you really do the first time. But the 
second time, you pull the ends through the loops as 
shown in Figure 37, and this makes a different look¬ 
ing proposition out of it. The little patter story that 
goes with this effect helps build it up. It runs as fol¬ 
lows; 


32 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


“Have you ever seen the MAGIC SHOE LACES? 
This is the way we learned to tie our shoe laces when 
we were mere youngsters. Of course it is handy for 
the kiddies to have their laces tied in nice bows like this 
(at this point you have tied the double bow as il¬ 
lustrated in Figure 36) for at night when they are tired 
and want to get their shoes off in a hurry and pile in 
bed, all they need to do is take hold of the ends and 
pull, and away goes the double knot, and off comes the 
shoes! But do you know that sometimes when the 
kiddies are playing about all day, one end may happen 
to get up through the loop like this? (Here you have 
tied the double loop knot again as shown in Figure 36, 
and left forefinger goes right down through the loop 
and gets hold of the end and pulls it right up through, 
exactly as shown in Figure 37. The other forefinger 
(right) goes down through its loop and pulls end up 
through in exactly the same manner. To be sure you 
always go right on this, take Figure 36 as the guide— 
you will notice that the two thumbs both point down 
through the loops. Well, this is your cue—your fore¬ 
finger goes right down through the loops as indicated 
by direction the thumbs point, and brings the ends up 
through.) Then to even complicate the matter, the 
other end is liable to get through the loop and now, not 
noticing this the kiddies in their usual hurry just take 
hold of the ends of the laces and jerk—and what is the 
result? You all know for no doubt every one of you 
have had this same experience. (At this point you pull 
on the two ends until you have apparently drawn the 
loops right into a hard knot.) There would be no use 
in pulling harder, for the harder one would pull, the 
harder the knot would get. I used to hunt for a fork, 
or an old fashioned shoe buttoner to get the laces untied. 


33 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


However that was before I knew magic, for by the aid 
of it, even though the ends had been pulled through the 
loops thus forming a hard knot, the magic words se¬ 
cretly pronounced is all it would take. (Here you hold 
the rope in left hand and right hand runs right down 
over the knot and it seems to melt right away just as 
before.) Wonderful what magic will do isn’t it?” 

You will find this to be very effective. 

JOHN BRAUN COMBINATION KNOT 

In effect, tie a bow knot in a piece of rope, put the 
ends of the rope through the loops as explained in the 
‘‘Shoe Laces” effect, and then pull the knot tight. Im¬ 
mediately tie the Chefalo Knot on top, following 



through as in Figure 38 and 39. Pull the knots tight, 
and you have what seems to be a hopeless tangle. While 
spectators hold the ends of the rope, you magically dis¬ 
solve the knots, and the rope is untangled again! Fol¬ 
low the illustrations carefully. The various positions 
are as the hands appear to you. Pull the knots tight— 
that is, as tight as you dare without pulling them out. 
While the spectators hold the ends of the rope you ap¬ 
parently rub them away with your closed hand over 
them. 


34 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


WHOLESALE KNOT REMOVAL 

I wo ropes are used this time. They are held side 
by side and a knot tied in the center of both of them 
simultaneously. Further knots are tied until the ropes 
can hardly bear more. Spectators may assist in tying 
the knots. 

A volunteer holds the four ends bunched up in his 
hand while the knots are concealed beneath a cloth. 
Reaching under this cloth, you are able to remove every 
last one of the knots. 

The two ropes are each doubled back on itself at 
the center. They are joined together with a loop of 
thread. They appear to be two complete ropes held side 
by side. The first knot should be tied by you. It hides 
the doubled centers and permits spectators to add more 
knots without detecting anything wrong. Under cover 
of the cloth it is an easy matter to break the thread and 
remove the knots. 


GONE AGAIN 

This is a follow-up to ‘ Any Number Of Knots’’ 
which is explained in an earlier portion of this chapter. 

After the knots, which have magically appeared, 
have been displayed, the rope is bunched up and then 
let fall with one end only being retained. The knots 
are gone as mysteriously as they came. 

In gathering up the rope, you open out the loop 
of each knot, under the pretext of showing it genuine, 
so that the rope again assumes the same position as 
when you coiled it up and passed the original end 
through as illustrated in Figure 1 5. All you have to 


35 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


do now is pass that original end back through the loops 
of the knot and retain it as you let the rest of the rope 
drop. The knots dissolve in exactly the reverse of the 
manner in which they were tied. 


VISIBLY 


After tying a knot that dissolves to nothingness, 
you offer to explain how it is done. Under cover of 
your hand, you state that you actually remove the knot 
and place it in your pocket. That is exactly what ap¬ 
pears to happen. A knot is tied in the rope, you cover 
it with your hand, the knot is revealed to be gone from 
the rope and you show it in your hand. 

All you need is knot tied in a rope similar to that 
you are using and cut away with the ends trimmed quite 
closely to the knot itself. This is concealed in the hand 
and revealed only after the knot in the rope, it may be 
either “The Chefalo Vanishing Knot” or “The Magic 
Shoe Laces” has dissolved. 


C. T. JORDAN’S MYSTIFYING KNOT TRICK 


This is a simple but bewildering feat. A length 
of rope and a plain wooden curtain ring or unprepared 
bracelet is all the equipment required. The ring is 
threaded on the rope and three knots are tied over it. 



36 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


While the ends of the rope are held both the ring is 
removed and the knots are untied. 

The first two knots are genuine (Figure 40) but 
the third works the trick. The ring is best laid on a 
table while the knot is tied. First, lay the right hand 
end down alongside the knots already tied and pull it 
up through the curtain ring; then under itself, down 
through the noose of the first knot, across and under 
that part of itself that lies beside the knots, over and 
down through the noose formed by the second knot. 
It will come out alongside the other end. (Figure 41 ). 

The person who is going to help you grasps the 
ends and lets the center of the rope hang down behind 
his back. He must face the audience, so that what you 
do behind his back will not be observed. 

On examining the knot you will find that there is 
one prominent loop. (A, Figure 41 ). The first thing 
to do is slip this loop right down and over all the knots 
and the ring. Now, by merely shaking the rope, it 
straightens out and the ring hangs suspended by one 
easily removed loop. This loop is similar to that em¬ 
ployed in attaching price tags. Merely enlarge it and 
slip over the ring. T he ring will drop off and leave the 
rope without a knot. 


37 









CHAPTER 2 

PENETRATIONS 
(Two Ropes) 

















































































































































































































































































































































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Chapter 2. PENETRATIONS 
(Using Two Ropes) 


ROPES THROUGH THE NECK 


Two lengths of rope, each about six feet long, are 
placed around your neck. The doubled ropes are crossed 
at your throat and a single overhand knot tied. Sev¬ 
eral spectators may each tie additional knots. Grasp¬ 
ing the knots at your throat, you give a tug and the 
ropes apparently pass right through your neck. The 
ropes are freely displayed and still bear the loops which 
were but a moment before around your neck. The 
knots are undisturbed. 



The ropes are prepared as in Fig. 42. They are 
doubled back upon themselves and the middle of each 
connected with a loop of thread, in placing the ropes 


41 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


about your neck, leave the secret joint concealed at the 
back as in Fig. 43. In Fig. 44 is depicted the appear¬ 
ance to the audience after the knots are tied. 

When you are ready for the release, grasp the 
ropes above the knots as depicted in Fig. 45. A slight 
pull breaks the thread and the loops are spread apart 
with your fingers as the ropes apparently penetrate 
your neck. 

As long as the secret joint is kept concealed, the 
ropes have every appearance of being single and lying 
parallel to each other. 

VENABLE’S IMPROVED ROPES THROUGH 
NECK 

In this version, the ropes are not prepared in ad¬ 
vance but a hitch, as pictured in Fig. 47, is secretly 
made. Mr. Henry Venable stated that the method of 



42 





















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


actually making this hitch had always been left vague 
in the descriptions of the trick which he had read. He 
asserts that the following method is indetectable. 

The ropes are first exhibited separately, one held 
in each hand near the end, and shown to be separate 
and sound. The two ropes are now taken in the left 
hand, separated by the forefinger, and each held near 
the end. The right hand now brings up the other ends 
of the ropes, keeping them separated with the right 
forefinger, and places them in the left hand, each rope 
having both of its ends on the same side of the left 
forefinger. We shall denote the ropes between the 
thumb and forefinger as A and that between the first 
and second fingers as B. Now the little finger of the 
left hand is inserted through the loop of B and draws 
back one side of loop A; the condition now is that il¬ 
lustrated in Fig. 48. 

The right hand now takes the ends of the ropes 
and draws them up vertically until the looped ends are 
in the left hand, which you find will have them as 
shown in Fig. 49, the end of loop A being around the 
little finger and through loop B. 

The right hand can now drop the ends of loop B 
forward and A towards himself, take the ropes by the 
middle from the left hand, hitch already made, put 
them around his neck (under his collar to conceal the 
loop), tie them up, and there you are. A spectator can 
pull them as hard as he pleases, as the hitch will not 
come loose unless you work the rope back and forth 
from side to side. 

The effect of the move described seems to the 
spectator to be merely the doubling of the ropes and 
taking them by the middle. 


43 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


THE ROPES AND RINGS MYSTERY 

Five or six curtain rings are strung upon two ropes 
and are tied with a single knot as in Fig. 53. Two ends 



of the rope are threaded through the sleeve of a bor¬ 
rowed coat and held by one volunteer. The other two 
ends are threaded through the second sleeve and held 
by a second volunteer. Fig. 54 shows what the ar¬ 
rangement looks like to you and Fig. 55 is the view to 
the audience. (The rings should be tied on the ropes 

in Fig. 54.) 

Another single knot is tied in one of the ropes so 
that the final appearance is as Fig. 56. While the 
volunteers hold tightly to their respective ends of the 
ropes, you remove the rings, the coat and the knots. 

The ropes are at least twelve feet long. They are 
prepared in a similar manner to that described in Ropes 
Through The Neck. A piece of thread is wound once 


44 
















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

or twice about the middle of the ropes, as in Fig. 50, 
and then they are doubled back upon each other, as in 

Fig. 51. 

In presenting the trick, you have one volunteer 
stand at each side of you. The rings may be examined 
and then are threaded on the rope while you keep the 
secret joint concealed in your hand, as in Fig. 52, at all 
times. 

The rings are then tied with a single knot, using 
both ropes, as in Fig. 53. 

After threading the ropes through the sleeves and 
having rested the coat on the back of a chair, have each 
volunteer hand you one end that he is holding and tie 
one more knot on the outside of the coat as in Fig. 56. 

If you break the thread, under cover of the coat, as 
the volunteers pull on the ropes, the rings and coat will 
come free while the ropes will be stretched out straight 
between them. 

A variation in presentation is to remove the rings 
but to retain the loops. I hen, as an additional sur¬ 
prise, you release the loops and the coat is removed 
from the ropes as well. 

STANLEY COLLINS’ NEW ROPES AND 
RINGS RELEASE 

This method is performed with two long pieces of 
rope and three rings of large size. When the audience 
has thoroughly inspected these articles to their satis¬ 
faction, the conjurer passes both ropes through one of 
the rings. It is interesting to note that the ropes are 
passed through the ring separately, two different spec¬ 
tators each threading one rope if desired. 


45 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The ring having been secured with a knot, the 
second ring is threaded on the ropes over one pair of 
ends, and the last ring over the other ends. 

The ropes are finally carried down the sleeves of a 
coat, then another knot having been tied, the ends are 
handed to two gentlemen, with the request that they 
pull against each other. Instantly the ropes are pulled 
straight and free from knots, the rings and coat being 
left in the hands of the conjurer. 

The secret of this puzzling problem lies in the fact 
that really four rings are used instead of three, the 
presence of one being unknown to the audience. This 
fourth ring is exactly the same as the other three both 
in appearance and size, but has a slit similar to the 
‘ key’ ring in the Chinese Linking Rings. This “key'’ 
ring is out of sight at the start. It can either be vested 
or on the table under some silks. 

You invite two gentlemen up to examine the ropes 
and the three unprepared rings. While they are examin¬ 
ing these articles, borrow a coat. As you return with the 



46 










ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

coat, ask for the three rings again and make the ex¬ 
change of one unprepared ring for the “key.” This 
key ring is threaded first, you concealing the cut in 
the ring with your thumb. The ropes are tied exactly 
as in Fig. 57, the “key” ring taking the place of the 
wand. 

The two remaining rings are now threaded, one on 
each side of the tied ring, and the ends of the ropes are 
brought down the sleeves of the coat. One rope from 
one sleeve and one from the other are then tied with a 
single knot, as in Fig. 56. 

You reach inside the coat, slide the ropes through 
the “cut,” thus releasing all three rings, at the same 
time taking care to hold the rope together. Give the 
command to pull and the two assistants from the audi¬ 
ence pull against each other, thus pulling the ropes 
out the sleeves of the coat and leaving the coat and the 
three rings in your possession. 

Quickly place the “key” ring under your vest and 
remove the unprepared one therefrom under cover of 
the coat. The coat is now brought down into the audi¬ 
ence to its owner and the three rings can be freely 
examined. 

This trick is very easy to perform owing to the fact 
that you work behind the coat. To the audience it ap¬ 
pears as if you are merely supporting the coat and the 
rings until you give the command to pull. 

Mr. Collins asserts that it is very easy to split a 
wooden ring along the grain. Simply drop the ring 
edgewise on a very hard substance. A ring split in 
this manner may be handled most freely, and close to 
a spectator’s eyes without any fear of the crack being 
observed. 


47 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


RELUE’S ROPES AND CUPS 

Two ropes are tied around the wand and held at 
their ends by volunteers. Two tin cups and then two 
china cups are threaded on the ropes. You withdraw 
the wand and wave it over the cups. The tin cups crash 
to the floor but the china cups remain hanging on the 
ropes. 

There is no previous preparation of the ropes. 
Place them over the wand. Hold both ends of each rope 
in one hand. Cross the ropes (really both ends of one 
rope) in one hand over the ropes in the other hand and 
draw tight in a single knot (in such a manner that if 
you now remove the wand, you will have one rope com¬ 
plete in each hand). Have the volunteers on either side 
Hold the ropes. 1 hread a tin cup on the ropes at either 
side. Now take one rope (either one) from each volun¬ 
teer and tie the tin cups on. In this tie, just cross the 
ropes over (one from each side) and draw up a single 
knot as you have done in the previous tricks in this 
chapter. 

After you hand these ropes back, each volunteer 
is really holding one end of each rope. Next place the 
china cups on the ropes—one from either end of ropes. 
As you withdraw the wand and wave it over the tie in 
the center, the volunteers pull the ropes tight the tin 
cups fall—the china cups remain. 

Refer to Fig. 57 for the manner in which the ropes 
are tied on the wand. 

ORIENTAL OR SIMPLICITY ROPE RELEASE 

Ottokar Fischer of Vienna is credited with first 
using the simplified method, just explained in the previ- 


48 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


ous trick, of performing the release without previous 
preparation of the ropes. 

In his routine, a fan took the place of the wand 
and brightly colored silks were used instead of cups. 
This makes a fine oriental presentation on any program. 

WALKING THROUGH ROPES 

Still another variation of this effective principle. 
I wo long ropes are displayed and passed up under a 
gentleman’s coat and behind him. He is further secured 
by tying one of the ropes irf a single knot in front of 
him. Two volunteers stand, one to his right and the 
other to his left, and hold the ends of the ropes. The 
gentleman steps backward and the ropes, having ap¬ 
parently penetrated his body, are stretched straight and 
free in front of him. He has apparently walked through 
the two ropes. 

Little needs to be explained. The ropes are pre¬ 
pared as in Fig. 51. Fake joint is kept concealed in 
the hand until it is safely hidden beneath the first 
volunteer’s coat. Be sure that your audience is im¬ 
pressed with the fact that the ropes actually pass behind 
him at the start. 


THE 3-IN-1 ROPES 

Mr. A. C. Thompson suggests the following 
method of preparing the ropes for such tricks as Walk¬ 
ing Through Ropes, Ropes and Rings, or Ropes 
Through Neck. 

You will require a small piece of cloth for each 
rope. It need only be long enough to fit around the 


49 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


rope like a band and wide enough to accommodate two 
dress snap fasteners. The male halves of two fasten¬ 
ers are sewn to the center of one cloth band and the 
two female halves to the second cloth band. 

Two male halves are sewn at one end of each cloth 
strip and two female halves at the other end of each 
strip and on the other side of the strip from the first 
pair. 

You now have two cloth strips, one to snap around 
each rope to form a band at the rope’s center. These 
two ropes may now be snapped together as shown in 

Fig. 58. 



53 


The ropes may first be shown held far apart and 
then snapped together as you place them both in one 
hand. During the course of the trick, you need only 
to unsnap them instead of breaking the thread as in 
the original version. In conclusion, you have only to 
unsnap the cloth bands themselves to leave the ropes 
quite unprepared. 


MIMI-CORDS — Adolph Ferber 

Apparatus used consists of two ropes, each six feet 
long, and a block of wood approximately three and a 
half inches square, half an inch thick and with a half 
inch hole through the center. 

The effect to the audience is that both ropes are 
threaded through hole in block, one is removed and 


50 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

the remaining rope is jerked right through the block. 

Hand out the ropes and the block for examination. 
When the ropes are returned, take one by the extreme 
end in the left hand and the other in the same manner 
in the right. Now place both ropes in the right hand, 
hold near the ends and, while you talk, twist ropes’ ends 
with left hand as in Fig. 59. The fact that the ropes 



are crossed is hidden in the hand, thumb between ropes 
on top of cross and little finger between ropes on bot¬ 
tom. (After you are accustomed to the move, it may 
prove easier to do it with the right hand alone). 

Pick up other end of A in left hand and join with 
first end. Do likewise with other end of B, keeping 
right hand fingers in position as much as possible. 
After a little practice, you will find it easy enough to 
bring up both ends of both ropes at once with your left 
hand and join them properly with ends in right hand. 
Always use this latter method when presenting the trick 
for an audience. 


51 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Hold ends of both ropes in left hand and pull with 
left hand until the right hand fingers reach the center 
of ropes. Result ropes are linked to each other in 
center. Cover link naturally with right hand. 

Thread two ends of rope through the center of the 
block, until centers reach back of block. Keep back of 
block, where link is, away from audience. The block 
is held in right hand, four fingers in front, thumb in 
back, fingers and palm covering front of block. 

Pull at one end of back rope, pulling it completely 
away from block. Simultaneously slip second finger 
of right hand over one of two ropes (really one rope, 
of course) hanging from front of block and hold it 
around lower edge of block and under second finger. 
This is so it will appear that you have a length of rope 
hanging from the front of block and one from the back. 

If necessary, the left hand may aid in this move 
while you are getting hold of back rope to withdraw it. 

Then hold two ends of rope in left hand and pull it, 
seemingly through the block, while four right hand 
fingers are still over center of front of block. 


52 


CHAPTER 3 

PENETRATIONS 
(One Rope) 







































































































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Chapter 3. PENETRATIONS 
(Using One Rope) 

LOOP THE LOOP 

This is actually a puzzle but well worth knowing. 
Use a soft rope about nine feet long and tie the ends 
together. Remove your coat, put the loop of rope over 
your right arm and put your right hand in your vest 
pocket. Have anyone try to get it off without untying 
or cutting the rope and without you removing your 
hand from vest pocket. 

The solution is to pull the loop through the arm¬ 
hole of your vest, over your head, out through the other 
armhole and over the other arm. You can now reach 
up under vest and pull the rope down. It will fall to 
the floor leaving you only to step out of it and be free. 

THE LEG TIE 

Four feet of rope is a nice length to use for this 
trick. It is apparently wrapped twice around the leg, 
just above the knee. You grasp both ends in one hand, 
give a quick jerk, and the rope seems to pass right 
through your leg leaving the rope suspended in a loop 
from the hand that held it. 

First stretch the rope above the leg as in Fig. 60. 
Place the center of the rope against your leg and wrap 
it around as in Fig. 61. 

Demonstrate how secure it is and then remove and 
hold the rope again as in Fig. 60. 


r ff-nj? 

; * r>i , 

m :! 


55 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



Once more the rope is placed around the leg in 
apparently the same manner. What you really do is 
quite different. 

Let us suppose that it is being placed around the 
left leg. Place both hands and ends A and B at the rear 
of the leg. Right thumb is placed against B and right 
forefinger in front of A. See Fig. 62. 

Engage A with right forefinger and pull it under 
B. Push B to left with right thumb. Grasp B with left 
thumb and forefinger. Refer now to Fig. 63. 

With left thumb and forefinger, push A around 
under B and pull it through a little way to right with 


56 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

right thumb and forefinger. You will release A from 
left hand and B from right in order to do this. 

Bring ends A and B up in front of leg and grasp 
both ends in the right hand. Give the rope a quick jerk 
and it remains suspended in a loop. Fig. 64 shows the 
actual position before the release is made. 

NEV1L MASKELYNE’S LEG TIE 

1 he performer sits down and bends one leg. 
Around the top of the calf he winds a piece of rope 
twice; he then carries the rope up to the thigh and 
passes it twice around the thigh and ties the two ends 
together. The binding appears to be absolutely 
genuine; yet, when the performer takes hold of the 
rope and straightens his leg he is able to pull the loop 
of rope away. 

If the reader will experiment a few times, using 
the illustrations as a guide, he should have no difficulty 
in mastering the tie. The learner should remember that 
the rope goes twice around the calf and twice around 
the thigh and that the second two moves cancel the first 
two because the rope goes around in the opposite direc¬ 
tion. Another point to remember is the crossing of the 
two ends of the rope; they cross below the knee and 
above it, but again the second move cancels the first. 
The loops around the thigh are made in such a way that 
the rope does not cross, as depicted in Fig. 69. 

Every detail of the presentation is pictured and if 
the reader will follow the instructions, beginning with 
the rope in front of the leg, he should have no diffi¬ 
culty in performing the trick. Fig. 65 is a side view 
and Fig. 68 the appearance from the front of the corn- 


57 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



pleted tie. Fig. 67 shows how the rope goes around 
the calf and Fig. 69 shows the procedure to follow in 
winding the rope around the thigh. Fig. 66 is how the 
rope appears immediately after the release. 


TENKAI ROPE THROUGH NECK 

A rope is passed twice around the neck. A sharp 
tug on the ends and it apparently penetrates the neck. 

The illustrations show the moves step by step. 
Note in Fig. 70 that end B, hanging on your left side, 
is a trifle longer than A. 

Fig. 71 shows how you reach across the short piece 
with the right arm and grasp the long piece. You now 
reach across the long piece and grasp the short piece 
with the left arm as in Fig. 72. 


58 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



When the loop, held in the right hand, is about 
half way around the neck, then the left hand starts with 
the short piece and follows right around the same way. 
The right hand stops when half way around and goes 
no further, but the left hand goes clear around. 

Fig. 73 shows clearly that these moves have bound 
the loop securely in the rope. The appearance from 
the front is as Fig. 74. Because B was longer at the 
start, the ends now hang evenly. 

By a quite different set of moves, you are really 
in a similar position to the manner in which the rope 
passes around your leg in Fig. 64. A sharp pull and 
the rope is straight and free in front of you. 

NEW ROPE THROUGH NECK 

Unfortunately, 1 am unfamiliar with the name of 
the originator of this clever method. 

The rope is first tied in a circle and placed over 
the head and around the neck, represented by the dark 


59 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



oval, in the manner shown in Fig. 75. Eight feet is 
about right for the length of the rope and note that the 
knot is well up toward the neck on the left side. 

Grasp the rope at point A in the right hand and 
carry it around the neck once so that Fig. 76 illustrates 
the new position. 

Next cross the rope in front of you as in Fig. 77. 



The rope at left of neck goes in front of the rope at 
right. Grasp points B and C in the right hand, D and 
E in the left hand, with the palms of the hand toward 
your body. 


60 















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Raise the rope and drop loop X over your head so 
that rope, where it crosses, will be at the back of the 
neck. Fig. 78 discloses the formation the rope will as¬ 
sume. There will be a loop, F and G, at each side of 
the neck. The hands automatically arrive at these posi¬ 
tions, F and G, and conceal the loops. 

The release is affected by allowing the loops to slip 
out of your hand at the same time as you grasp the 
single rope, just below them, and pull quickly down 
and away from the neck. 

THE HANDKERCHIEF RELEASE 

Your hands are bound tightly together with a 
handkerchief looped around your wrists and tied in 
several knots. The end of a piece of soft rope, about 
twelve feet long, is dropped through the circle made by 
your arms and pulled tight by someone who holds both 
ends so you cannot escape. Fig. 79 will clarify these 
instructions. 

Requesting a little slack, you move your hands up 
and down quite rapidly. At your command, volunteer 
pulls on the rope and is reasonably surprised to see it 
drop to the floor. Both ends of the rope are still in his 
possession and you are as securely bound, with the 
handkerchief, as you were at the beginning. 

Fig. 79 shows your hands tied with the handker¬ 
chief, the rope slipped through your arms and pulled 
tight by someone who holds the ends. 

The first secret move is apparent in Fig. 80. When 
the rope is first pulled tight, catch it between your hands 
at the base of the wrists. When it is slackened, grasp 
the loop with the tips of the right-hand fingers, as in 


61 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



Fig. 80, and slip it over the back of your right hand, as 
in Fig. 81. 

As soon as the loop is over your right hand, open 
your palm so that both palms are together, and then 
stop the up-and-down motion of your hands. Tell your 
assistant to pull tight again; the rope now being as 
shown in Fig. 82. Be sure not to let the back of your 
right hand be seen as you now pull hard on the rope. 

When ready to break away, turn quickly to the 
left, at the same time slipping your right thumb under 
the upper part of the rope. 


62 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


JAY-BEE’S UNDISTURBED KNOT 

A six foot length of soft rope and a piece of silk 
are the essentials for this really baffling trick. The rope 
is handed to the person assisting you on your right, the 
silk to the other assistant on your left, requesting both 
to thoroughly examine the articles handed them. The 




rope is taken back first, as in Fig. 83, with your left 
side to audience because you are facing your assistant. 

Now, turn around to get the silk from the assistant 
at other side of stage. Drop the left hand to your side, 
first finger and thumb close on to each other BEHIND 
the doubled rope as it hangs down. Fig. 84. 

Let the rope rest against your left side coat pocket, 
draw the hand upward and you will find the rope as in 
Fig. 83. Your aim should be to do these moves as one 
and part of your general movement from one side of 
stage to the other. 

While your left hand has been executing these 
moves, your right takes the silk from the assistant on 
your left. Bring the left hand up in front of you and 
push the silk through, from the side nearest audience, 


63 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


of the loop your first finger and thumb occupy. The 
back of the hand hides this loop and when you have 
tucked the end of the silk through, let the loop remain 
in the palm of the hand and slide it to the center of the 
silk. Tie a knot in the silk. This leaves the rope as 



in Fig. 85 only, instead of the thumb and finger being 
in the loop, the silk occupies this space, and the loop 
is still hidden in the palm of the left hand. 

There is no need to look at the rope or the silk 
during this operation. You have been telling the audi¬ 
ence what you are doing, and that is how long it should 
take. 

The rope is now handed to your assistants, one 
end to each. Hand an end to the assistant on your 
right, first of all. You are holding the rope with one 
hand on each side of the silk and, just before giving 
him an end, give the rope a smart pull. The other end 
of the rope is handed to your assistant on the left. 

If you inspect the rope and silk at this stage, you 
will find the rope quite straight but the silk has TWO 
KNOTS, the one you tied, plus a slip-knot. Bunch 
these two slightly together and ask your assistants to 
hold the rope taut. To prove that the silk is securely 
tied, run it along from end to end of the rope while 


64 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



holding the slip-knot. See Fig. 86. This slip-knot must 
be at the back. If it is not, you can quite easily turn it 
around while showing silk to be tied. 

Tell your audience that you are going to pull the 
piece of silk through the cords without disturbing the 
knot. Repeat your instructions to assistants to hold 
the rope straight and firm, get the silk to the center, still 
holding the slip-knot (which by now is fairly loose). 
Give a smart pull upwards on the silk and you will find 
it leaves the rope quite easily. Continue this move¬ 
ment upwards and let the silk fly into the air. Catch 
it as it falls and display The Undisturbed Knot. 

Originator suggests using two ropes and a piece 
of silk oblong in shape 9” x I 8” which, when held by 
the corner, has the appearance of a full size silk. 

THE VEST TURNING TRICK 

One end of a three foot length of rope is tied 
around your right wrist and the other end around your 
left wrist. The knots may be sealed with sealing wax 
if you wish. Retiring behind a screen, or into the next 
room, you return in a minute or so with your vest 
turned inside out and buttoned up the back. The knots 
at your wrists have not been tampered with. 


65 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


As soon as you are out of sight of your audience, 
unbutton the vest, reach up and draw it over your head. 



Fig. 87. Now turn the vest inside out by drawing it 
through one armhole. Fig. 89. Put the vest back on 
with the back to the front. Step over the rope in order 
to bring your hands behind you so that you may button 
the vest up the back. Bring your hands again to the 
front before returning to your audience. Fig. 88. 

The trick may even be performed with the coat 
on by pulling the vest through the sleeve of the coat 
before turning it and drawing it back to position again. 


66 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


THE RING ON THE ROPE 

A large ring or bracelet is examined. As in the 
last trick, your wrists are bound with a three foot length 
of rope and the knots may be sealed. Regaining pos¬ 
session of the ring, you turn your back to the audience 
for a brief moment. When you again face them, the 
ring is threaded on the rope, while the knots on your 
wrists remain intact. 

In reality two rings are used. Before presenting 
the trick, slip one of the rings over your left wrist and 
up the sleeve out of sight. 

Immediately you turn your back, with your wrists 
tied and the examined ring in your possession, you 
slip this ring up under your vest out of sight. Draw 
the duplicate ring down the left sleeve on to the rope 
and turn around. 

Naturally the ring on the rope and the knots may 
be examined indefinitely without revealing any trick¬ 
ery. 

Sometimes the sleeves are rolled up and the dupli¬ 
cate ring is concealed under the roll of the sleeve. 


THE RING KNOTTED ON THE ROPE 

An additional touch to the last trick. The ring is 
not only threaded on the rope but securely tied with a 
single knot as well. 

After the ring is on the rope, as previously ex¬ 
plained, slide it close to the knot on left wrist. Grasp 
the center of the rope and proceed exactly as explained 


67 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


in The Knot Of Enchantment, paying particular at¬ 
tention to Fig. 9 and Fig. 1 0. 

Entirely disregard the ring until the knot is made 
and then you will find that it is around the ring itself. 

PUZZLING RING ON THE ROPE 

Oscar S. Teale has added an additional subterfuge. 
Two rings are used, as before, but they are of iron and 
there is a slight difference. One is slightly distorted 
to permit it to pass over the left hand on a line with 
the third joints of the fingers. This is only possible 
when the hand conforms itself to the shape of the ring 
and by pressure. The ring will not go over the right 
hand. A little known fact is that the left hand is in¬ 
variably smaller than the right. This is the ring that 
is concealed up the sleeve. Although the ring first 
displayed is perfectly round, it will not pass over either 
hand. The variation is so slight as to pass unnoticed. 

Now, at the introduction and again at the con¬ 
clusion of the trick, the ring may be proven too small 
to pass over your hand. Be sure and use the distorted 
ring on the right hand when proving (?) this state¬ 
ment. 


THE NEW RING ON ROPE 

Here is an improved version which should prove 
mystifying even to the man that knows the original 
method. Only one ring is used and it can be thor¬ 
oughly examined both before and after the presentation. 
May be performed with the sleeves rolled above the 
elbows. 


68 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

The big secret is that the ring used is a flexible 
wire bracelet. After the rope on your wrists and the 
ring have been examined, you turn your back on the 
audience and slip the bangle over your wrist. Slide it 



under the rope around the wrist, as in Fig. 90, until the 
ring is in the position shown in Fig. 91. Remove it 
from the wrist but over the encircling rope this time. 

Fig. 92. 

The ring is now on the cord, although the knots 
on the wrists have not been touched. 

For impromptu presentation, use a heavy elastic 
band. 


69 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


SLATER’S RING ON THE ROPE 

This lengthens the item and makes it appear more 
mysterious. 

A ring is given for examination. Your hands are 
tied as in the previous versions of this mystery. Any 
volunteer from the audience has his hands tied with a 
similar length of rope but his are tied behind him. 

Volunteer faces the audience. You step behind 
him, with the ring. Almost immediately the volunteer 
is asked to turn around. The ring is on the slack be¬ 
tween his wrists. 

You both resume your original positions. When 
next the volunteer turns around, the ring is threaded on 
the slack in both ropes. 

For the final time you resume your former posi¬ 
tions. This time the ring is on the performer’s rope 
only and everything may again be examined. 

Three rings are really used. One ring has a fine 
slit or break in it so that it may be slipped on and off 
the ropes at will. One of the remaining two unpre¬ 
pared rings is slipped on the arm and up the sleeve 
as in the original version. The remaining ring is for 
the examination at the first. The slit ring is vested. 

First Effect. Examined ring is vested. Slit ring 
removed from vest and slipped on volunteer’s rope. 

Second Effect. Slit ring is slipped on your own 
rope as well. 

Third Effect. Slit ring is vested again. Unpre¬ 
pared ring brought out of your sleeve and on to your 
rope. 

Rupert Slater is to be congratulated on this inter¬ 
esting and mystifying routine. 


70 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


BORROWED RING ON ROPE 

This may follow any of the previous tricks in this 
series of rope and ring tricks. You borrow a ring, turn 
your back, and a moment later show it tied on the 
center of the rope. 

Pass the center of the rope through the ring. Push 
this loop under the rope encircling the left wrist. Fig. 
9. Put your hand through the loop and the loop back 
under the rope around the wrist. Fig. 10. Drop the 
loop off your hand and you will find it forms a knot 
around the ring. 

This knot is not quite the same as in The Ring 
Knotted On The Rope explained earlier. 

THE “CHEEKY” ROPE AND RING TRICK 

You display a large ring threaded on a three or four 
foot length of soft rope. Two spectators each hold one 
end of the rope while its center and the ring is covered 
with a large handkerchief. Practically the moment your 
hand is covered, you withdraw it with the ring free of 



71 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


the rope. The ring and rope may both be thoroughly 
examined. 

Secret: The ring is never actually threaded on the 
rope at all. An extra bit of rope, six or seven inches 
long, is used and it is the short piece that appears to be 
the middle of the rope due to the manner in which it is 
held. See Fig. 93. The ends of the short loop C and 
the center of the rope itself are concealed between the 
thumb and fingers of the left hand. 

One spectator stands at your left and grasps end 
A while the other spectator stands at your right and 
holds end B. This has the appearance of stretching the 
rope out straight with the exception of the center which 
is apparently looped down between your fingers and 
bears the ring. 

Another spectator covers your hand with an opaque 
handkerchief. Immediately crumple the short loop C 
in your hand and conceal it under the rest of the fingers 
as you display the ring held at the tips of the forefinger 
and thumb. 

It is easier, but not quite as effective, to place both 
hands under the handkerchief. The short loop C is still 
most readily concealed in the same hand that holds the 
ring. 

EDWARD SMITH’S ROPE AND RING TRICK 

A rope, perhaps 18 inches long, looped around a 
ring and its ends tied in a knot, as shown in Fig. 94, is 
handed to a person with the request that he remove the 
ring without untying the knot. 

This seemingly impossible task is quickly accom¬ 
plished by you on turning your back to the group for 


72 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


a moment. Or the trick may be performed beneath a 
large handkerchief spread over the rope and your two 
hands. 



Fig. 95 reveals the secret. Before the knot is tied 
the rope is cut near one end and a small brass bolt is 
inserted in the end of the long piece of rope while a 
small nut is imbedded in the end of the short piece. The 
screw end of the longer length is then screwed to the 
nut end of the short piece and the rope is tied in such 
a manner that the knot conceals the joint. The sealing 
wax on the ends of the rope and around the knot serve 
the double purpose of keeping the knot in place and in 
adding to the mystery. 

To perform the trick you have merely to unscrew 
the right-hand part of the loop close to the knot, remove 
the ring and screw the rope back in place. 

The rope may be easily prepared by anyone. 
Procure a suitable ring, either iron or wood, from one 
to two inches across. It has already been suggested that 
the rope be 1 8 inches or more in length. Window-sash 
cord will be found to be very satisfactory. Remove the 


73 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


brass screw and its nut from a used dry cell. File the 
nut to the smallest possible diameter. With a file, square 
the unthreaded part of the post. Cut a two or three inch 
piece off one end of the rope and wind the two severed 
ends with string to a distance of half an inch. With a 
round awl or nail make a hole in each severed end. 
Work some glue into each hole. In the hole in the long 
length of rope insert the squared end of the brass post 
and in the hole of the short piece of cord insert a nut. 
A bit of glue may be spread across the two severed ends. 

When the glue has thoroughly dried, unwind the 
strings on the two ends of the two pieces of rope, screw 
the rope together and make a knot in the looped rope 
as in Fig. 94. Make sure that the joined part of the rope 
is completely hidden inside the knot. Make the knot 
permanent by smearing both it and the ends of the rope 
with melted sealing wax. 

Before screwing up the rope give the long side of 
the loop a few backward twists to prevent it from 
curling; also put the ring on the rope as in Fig. 94. 

THE DROPPING RING 

The requirements for this bit of mystery are a two 
foot length of soft rope, a borrowed finger ring, and a 
handkerchief. With these simple articles you appar 
ently accomplish the impossibility of passing one solid 
object through another. 

First the rope is tied in a regulation square knot 
or double knot, leaving a small loop below the knot. 
Then the ring is placed on the rope and another double 
knot is tied a few inches above it. The ends of the rope 
are held by two persons as shown in Fig. 96. 


74 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



It is impossible to remove the ring from the rope, 
and the knots prevent it from falling from the upper 
loop to the lower. The handkerchief is thrown over 
the knots, and it hides the ring and the loops; but the 
ends of the rope are still in view. 

The performer reaches beneath the handkerchief, 
raising one side so that he can see beneath. In a few 
moments the handkerchief is removed. The ring is on 
the lower rope loop, apparently having passed through 
the solid double knot! See Fig. 97. 




75 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The secret of this trick is simple; yet the method 
of its accomplishment is never suspected. 

The double knot between the loops is not tied 
tightly. You loosen it under cover of the handkerchief, 
and you can push the ring along the string and right 
through the knots, on to the loop below. See Fig. 98. 
Then draw the knots as tight as possible, and remove 
the handkerchief. 

With a little practice, this can be performed very 
rapidly. Everything may be examined and the result is 
very puzzling. 

WHOLESALE RING REMOVAL 

Any number of harness rings and a two foot length 
of rope are passed for examination. After having con¬ 
vinced the spectators that the articles are perfectly free 
from deception, the rope is doubled over and the re¬ 
sulting loop is threaded through one of the rings as in 
Fig. 99. The ends of the rope are then pulled through 



»OI 


the loop thus formed as shown in Fig. 1 00. In order 
to further convince the audience of the ring’s security, 
the two ends of the rope are tied together in a knot 
which will naturally slide down nearly to the ring, but 
the knot should not be allowed to run within more than 


76 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

an inch from the ring. The reason for this will be 
obvious later. 

The remaining harness rings are threaded on the 
doubled rope and the ends given to a spectator to hold. 
Suddenly the rings drop free and fall into your hands. 

This trick is very surprising and will cause much 
speculation. Neither the rings nor the rope are secretly 
prepared in any way in advance. 

1 he secret of this pleasing little effect is extremely 
simple but need not be discredited on that account. 
Under cover of your hands, the loop marked “X” (Fig. 

! 01) is slipped over and off the ring, the rings will then 
all immediately fall from the rope. 

A personal touch may be given the trick by bor¬ 
rowing and using a number of finger rings. 

Any number of knots may be tied with the ends of 
the rope after the first ring has been threaded and they 
will remain on the rope after the rings have been re¬ 
leased, thus creating a most convincing effect. 

CHARLES LEEDY’S ROPO RINGO 

A new and novel application of familiar principles, 
resulting in a showy and convincing trick. 

Two spectators each hold one end of a nine foot 
length of rope. The center of the rope is covered with 
a handkerchief. You borrow a finger ring and place it 
beneath the handkerchief where its form is plainly 
visible. Suddenly whisk the handkerchief away from 
the rope disclosing a ball of cord wrapped around the 
rope at its center. Taking the end of the cord you 
quickly unwind the ball while the assistants hold the 
rope taut. When cord is all off, ring is found tightly 


77 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


knotted to rope, from which it is cut with scissors or 
may be, less effectively, untied. 

Secret: In preparing for the trick in advance, the 
cord is wrapped round the center of the rope to form 
a ball but a round tube is left extending to center so that 
the center of rope may be drawn out through it. The 
loop pulled out is placed over the end of the projecting 
tube which holds it in place. Tube must be large 
enough to permit the ring to be pulled through it. The 
rope is placed on your table with a handkerchief cov¬ 
ering the ball at center. 

Presentation: Pick up the rope. Give one end to 
each of two spectators. Borrow a ring. Reach beneath 
the handkerchief and slip the loop of rope that protrudes 
through the tube over the ring as pictured in Fig. 1 00. 
After the ring is looped on and pulled in, you extract 
the tube and hold one end under the handkerchief to 
simulate the ring. Quickly pull the handkerchief away 
to reveal the ball of cord on the rope. Handkerchief 
may be placed in pocket to leave your hands free to 
unwind cord. When handkerchief is removed later, the 
tube is left behind. Tell volunteers to pull tightly on 
the rope as you remove the cord. This pulls the ring 
more securely to center of ball and tightens the knot. 
Would suggest concluding the trick by returning the 
borrowed ring. 


CHARLES T. JORDAN’S PSYCHIC RING RELEASE 

A single piece of soft rope is examined, and anyone 
runs it through an ordinary curtain ring, securing the 
latter at the line’s center with a single knot. The per¬ 
former removes his coat and runs an end of the cord 


78 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


down either sleeve—the tied ring remaining in full 
sight. Two spectators hold the cord ends, and under 
cover of the coat the performer removes the ring, which 
may be secretly marked to obviate exchange. Then all 
is examined. 

This is the height of perfection in misdirection, the 
method employed being absurdly simple, yet practically 
indetectible. The only requisites are the soft rope and 
two wooden curtain rings, one being placed beforehand 
in the inner breast pocket of the coat. 

The tying is absolutely fair, and the rope ends are 
run through the sleeves with no deception whatever. 
As the two parties seize the rope ends, the performer’s 
only move is to secretly hunch the coat shoulders to¬ 
ward one another, so that not many inches of the rope 
can be seen when the inside of the coat is shown. The 
coat is suspended by the rope with its back to the 
company. 

To show the ring, the wizard gives the coat a half 
turn to his right, which slackens the rope somewhat. 
When he turns the coat back again, and as his assistants 
are drawing the rope taut, he indetectibly slides the coat 
slightly to his right along the rope, causing the ring to 
enter the coat’s right arm unsuspected by any one. A 
couple of trials will teach the moves better than a page 
of print can. 

The performer steps aside a moment, then goes to 
the coat again. Reaching inside it he secretly takes the 
second ring from its breast pocket, and with the other 
hand again swings the coat around. Holding the ring 
against the rope, it naturally appears to be the one tied 
thereon, as it is the only ring in sight. Holding the coat 


79 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


by its collar with one hand, he apparently yanks the ring 
free with the other. 

Requesting his assistants to release their hold of 
the rope ends, he carries the coat to the table, laying it 
there on its back. With the ring still in view in his 
right hand, he seizes with the same hand the end of the 
rope protruding from the LEFT coat sleeve, and with 
the left hand he secretly seizes the ring inside the 
RIGHT coat sleeve, through the fabric. 

The need of a soft rope becomes apparent. If the 
ring is smooth, and the knot not too tight, the act of 
pulling one end of the rope automatically unties it. The 
rope pulled free, the right hand, holding the duplicate 
ring, enters the right coat sleeve for the purpose of 
putting the coat on. But on the way it drops THAT 
RING into the pocket whence it came, and emerges 
from the lower end of the sleeve with the original one, 
picked up on the way. The coat on, the ring and rope 
are passed for examination. 


EDDIE JOSEPH’S RINGED 

A length of a rope and a ring are given out for 
examination. While these two articles are with the 
audience, two persons are invited on the stage. Each 
of the assistants is now asked to take hold of one end 
of the rope, performer taking the ring. Performer now 
explains that he will pass the ring on the rope while 
both ends are held by them. The center of the rope 
is now passed behind a screen and after a very short 
interval the screen is removed revealing the ring—not 
only threaded on the rope but also knotted thereon by 


80 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


means of a double knot. Performer now asks one of 
the gentlemen to unknot the first knot and so satisfy 
himself of its genuineness. As soon as this is done there 
now remains only one knot clearly seen by every one. 

Performer continues “Since it was possible to pass 
the ring on the rope while the ends were in keeping of 
the gentlemen you may be thinking that it is equally 
possible to remove it the same way. Will someone 
kindly try to do so?” This cannot be done for the 
simple reason that there is a genuine knot that must be 
untied in the usual manner in order to release the ring. 
The rope and ring are now taken to the audience and 
someone asked to undo the knot. 





Secret: In Fig. 102, A represents the center of the 
rope drawn through the ring in order to form a loop. 
B is at the performer’s right. 

81 














ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Loop A is next placed against B as indicated in 

Fig. 103. 

Refer to the final moves in Fig. 1 04. B is pulled 
through A to form a new loop which is slipped over ring 
from underneath as suggested by the arrow. The rope 
is pulled tight on top of ring to appear as a double knot. 

An explanation of only one point is now necessary. 
After the ring is shown on the rope, tied apparently by 
means of a double knot, performer must ask the as¬ 
sistant ON HIS LEFT to undo the first knot. While 
he is untying the knot, the other assistant on the right 
must not let go of his end of the rope. 

As soon as the first knot is undone, a genuine knot 
will be automatically formed around the ring. Try it 
and 1 am sure you will like it. 

GRAHAM ADAMS’ ROPE AND RING 
EXPERIMENT 

The effect of this experiment is that a solid metal 
ring which has been passed on to a thin rope, the rope 
being passed around the body of an assistant, and tied 
once in view of the audience, is pulled free of both ring 
and assistant leaving the knot intact. 

Secret: The ring is of solid brass and measures 
three inches over all. The rope is of the cotton variety 
and is one quarter inch thick and about twelve feet long. 
There is no preparation. 

Presentation: The method of tying will first be 
described and then an additional tip that will assist in 
the performance. 

As both the right and left hands have their work 
to do in this tie it would be well to study the accom- 


82 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


panying drawings with a rope and ring in your hands. 
For experimental purposes use the back of a chair on 
which to do the tying. 



Holding the rope in the left hand as in Fig. 105. 
the right and left hands are extended while exhibiting 
the rope. The right hand holds the rope between the 
finger and thumb. Drop your hold on the rope with 
your right hand and pick up the ring. Thread it on the 
rope and resume your hold with the right hand. 

Stand behind your assistant, hold the rope first over 
his head, then in front of him and then behind him, arms 
being extended all the while. 

The left hand is now moved behind the back of the 
assistant out of sight of the audience, while the right 
hand proceeds to wrap the rope around him. 

FOLLOW THIS VERY CLOSELY: When the 

right hand with its portion of the rope reaches the left 
hand, the finger and thumb of left hand grasp the rope. 
The right hand leaves its hold and travels to the back 
of the assistant. 

The finger and thumb of the right hand are placed 
through the metal ring, travel under the portion of rope 


83 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


in the thumb of the left hand, grasp the loose end of 
the rope, and pull it through the metal ring. 

The loop thus formed by the portion marked A in 
Fig. 1 06 is then slipped over the ring, the two loose ends 



of the rope are pulled tightly, tied with one knot at the 
front of the assistant and the ends are given to him to 
hold. 

You may then explain the situation. “A solid metal 
ring has been threaded on a rope. The rope has been 
passed around the body of my assistant and tied in 
front. The problem is to remove the ring and pass the 
rope through the assistant, leaving the knot intact.” 

To remove the ring, all that is necessary is to slip 
the loop, the ring will come away, and the two assistants, 
pulling quickly on the rope at both ends, the rope will 
appear to pass through your volunteer. 

This was experimented with and found to work 
nicely, but after a few performances another idea came 
along. 

When the loop was slipped off the ring to make the 
release, if the loop was tied once around the rope the 


84 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


ring could be handed to the volunteer, the rope pulled 
to show it was still firmly tied, the knot at the back 
slipped, and the rope pulled again, when the assistant 
was left with the ring in his hands, and the rope free in 
front of him. 

THE ROPE THROUGH THE STICK 

A rope is wrapped around the wand, a knife in¬ 
serted about the center of the wand, the rope looped 
around the knife, wrapped several times more around 
the wand, and the ends tied. 

You grasp the knot, a spectator removes the knife, 
and the rope apparently penetrates the wand. 

Have any one hold the wand. Grasp one end of 
the rope in each hand. Place the rope on top of the 




wand as in Fig. 107. Place both ends beneath the wand 
and transfer them to the opposite hands. Be sure that 
A is next the wand and B crosses on top of it. Fig. 1 08. 

The ends are brought to the top of the wand, A 
still next the stick and B crossing it. A knife is inserted 
in the stick at C. The ropes again cross, A underneath 


85 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

and B on top. They are crossed in the same manner on 
the under side of the wand, brought to the top and the 
ends tied. As soon as the knife is removed, the rope 
will pull free. 

The rope may be crossed back and forth, above and 
below the wand, as many times as you wish but it must 
cross the same number of times on each side of the knife 
as each turn around the wand on one side of the knife 
cancels a turn on the other side. Fig. 1 08 should make 
the method of winding the rope perfectly clear. 

U. F. GRANT’S WITCH’S BROOM 

A girl stands against a broom or post. A single 
rope is wrapped back and forth around both her and 
the post and the ends of the rope are tied at her ankles. 
At a word of command she walks forward. The rope 
drops to the floor perfectly free of both the young lady 
and the post. 

The principle of the previous trick is again brought 
in to play. Unknown to the audience, there is a re¬ 
movable peg at the back of the post that takes the place 
of the knife at C in Fig. 108. 

The rope is wound around the girl and post 
using the same routine as explained in THE ROPE 
THROUGH THE STICK. You stand at the side of 
the post and pull away the peg as you command the 
girl to walk forward. 

CUTTING A WOMAN IN HALF 

This simplified presentation still retains the ap¬ 
pearance of an illusion. 


86 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


A girl holds a large dagger with the point pressed 
against her waist. A long rope is passed over the knife, 
then twice around the girl’s waist and crossed in front 
of her. The ends of the rope are held by two spectators. 
At command, they pull on the rope and it passes clear 
through the girl’s body. 

A rope about eight feet long and an ordinary table 
knife will do. Have the girl stand and hold the knife 
pressed against her waist. Lay the rope over the knife 
—the ends hanging down on each side. Stand in front 
of the girl and grasp one end of the rope in each hand. 

Pass the ends around the girl’s waist and cross the 
end in the right hand over that in the left, then bring 
the ends to the front. Cross the rope ends UNDER 
the knife, the end in the left hand passing over that in 
the right hand. Bring both ends up over the knife and 
cross the end in the right hand over that in the left. 

Once more pass the ends around the girl’s waist 
and cross the end in the left hand over that in the right. 
Bring the ends to the front and cross them once more. 
Place a spectator on each side of the girl and give each 
of them one end of the rope to hold. 

The manner in which the rope has been passed 
around the girl conceals the fact that its middle is really 
doubled in front of the girl, the two loops being held 
by the point of the knife. When you order the two 
volunteers to pull, all the girl has to do is move the 
knife point an inch or so away from her waist and the 
rope pulls clear and appears to have passed right 
through her waist. 


87 





































CHAPTER 4 

CUT AND RESTORED CORD 





















V 






































































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Chapter 4. CUT AND RESTORED CORD 

THE FAMOUS KEJLLAR STRING TRICK 

1 his is one of the most wonderful of all cut and 
restored string tricks and has puzzled not only laymen 
but many magicians as well, chiefly through the very 
simpleness of the procedure. Only one string is used, 
and magicians are always looking for a switch, sub¬ 
stitution or fake cut. 



91 



















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


PREPARATION: Procure an ordinary piece of 
twine and a small cake of “magician s wax, or bees¬ 
wax. Taper each end of the twine to a point with sharp 
scissors. Figure 109 shows how the twine will look 
both before and after this treatment. Wax well the two 
ends of the twine. 

PRESENTATION: Exhibit the string (for those 
having an insight into magic, same may be measured, 
but this is unnecessary for a lay audience) holding first 
by one end and then the other; showing that there is 
nothing concealed in the hands. 

Now, hold the string as in Figure 1 1 0 and allow a 
spectator to cut it near the center. In this, and the three 
succeeding illustrations, the waxed ends of the string 
are marked with an X. 

Show that it is actually cut into two pieces, holding 
one piece in each hand as in Figure 111, and also 
holding by first one end and then the other, so that you 
finally end with the waxed ends uppermost as in Figure 
112 . 

Bring the waxed ends together and overlap them 
as in Figure 113. The string is now passed to the left 
hand as in Figure 1 14 where the ends are tightly 
squeezed and rolled between the forefinger and thumb 
which causes the wax to cement them together. 

The attention of your audience is diverted from this 
action by first tying and then untying a single knot by 
forming a loop and passing the end through as in Figure 

115 . 

You explain that the ordinary individual would 
attempt to restore the string to usefulness by tying the 
ends together with a knot but a magician would 
actually restore the cord. 


92 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


KARL GERMAINE’S STRING RESTORATION 

PREPARATION: Taper and wax the ends of a 
piece of cord as in the Kellar method. Join the ends 
together so that you have an apparently endless loop 
as in Figure 1 1 6. Again the waxed ends are indicated 
in the illustrations with an X. 



A shorter piece of cord is looped through the circle 
as in Figure 1 1 8. When the string is held as in Figure 
117, it appears to be in one piece with the ends pro- 


93 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


jecting above the thumb and forefinger. 1 he string is 
held in this manner as you commence the trick. 

PRESENTATION: Tie the ends together so that 
the loop appears as in Figure 1 1 9. Figure 1 20 illustrates 
that it is a weaver’s knot that is made. It is drawn up 
tightly, as in Figure 121, before your audience are 
allowed to see it. 

When you make the cut, hold the cord as in Figure 
1 22 and snip right through where the ends are held 
together with the wax. 

The ends are held far apart to show them actually 
separated, Figure 123, and a small portion of string 
clipped from each end. This prevents anyone finding 
any trace of the wax when the cord is examined later. 

Tie these ends together with a weaver’s knot to 
resemble as closely as possible the fake knot you tied 
at the beginning. The cord now looks like Figure 1 24. 
Rotate the loop between your fingers so that your 
audience lose track of which knot you just tied and the 
one made at the start. Now, cut away the fake knot, 
Figure 1 23. 

It is well to keep the apparently resulting two ends, 
really the doubled center of the loop, concealed for a 
moment or two between the thumb and forefinger, 
Figure 1 26, before revealing the cord restored, Figure 

127. 

This knot is genuine and may be untied and the 
string given to a spectator as a souvenir. 

JOE BERG S JAPANESE PAPER STRING 
RESTORATION 

EFFECT: Performer shows a paper-twisted string 
between his thumb and first finger, the two ends visibly 


94 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


protruding from the tips of the fingers. Spectator is 
requested to light the string at the center. 

After the fire has burned the center of the string 
apart, attention is called to the fact that it is specially 
imported Japanese rice paper string and, although it is 
separated into two equal pieces, the paper may be re¬ 
stored immediately to its original state by merely join¬ 
ing two ends. 

A spectator is allowed to hold two of the four ends. 
Performer covers the remaining two ends with his 
empty right hand and with a slight rubbing motion 
causes the ends to become joined and restored. Both 
hands are perfectly empty and the string is passed for 
examination. 

SECRET: The principle used in this trick is new 
and has never been applied to any other cut and re¬ 
stored effect. 

The two ends that the spectators see protruding 
from the finger tips is really the center of the string, 
Figure 1 28. The center part of the string is twisted 



tightly “U shape so that it appears to be two ends. 
The real ends of the string are twisted together to make 
the center, Figure 1 29. 


95 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Hold the string as in Figure I 30. Have a spectator 
light the center (?) thus burning away the evidence. 
Immediately put the fire out and even up the burned 
ends by trimming them with scissors. Bring the ends 
up between first and second fingers and show the four 
ends, Figure 131. All ends appear to be the same. 

Ask the spectator to hold two ends, one in each 
hand. Of course you give him the two ends between 
first and second fingers (real ends) while you place 
your other hand over the two twisted ends (center) and 
with a slight rubbing motion, pulling the string towards 
your body, cause the twisted ends to unwind and the. 
string apparently restore. 

Spectator is requested to let go of one end and 
pull the string through your fist. This completes the 
straightening out of the twisted center of string. Show 
your hand empty and pass the string for examination. 

NOTE: It does not require any special paper, any 
strip of tissue paper will work. Do not twist it too 
tightly in the center, the twisted ends will not stay 
twisted and expose the secret if you do. The string 
thus prepared may be placed on the table out of sight 
of the spectators and picked up when ready. 

FIGURE “8” STRING RESTORATION 

This very old trick has sometimes been called 
Tying An Invisible Knot With The Teeth. 

EFFECT: The ends of a length of string are tied 
together in order to make a large loop. This is folded 
so that you have a double loop half the size of the 
original. A cut is made through both strings of the 
doubled loop and the resulting ends are placed in your 


96 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

mouth. After a certain amount of facial contortions, 
during which you are supposed to be tying the invisible 
knot with your teeth, the string is drawn from the 
mouth restored. 

SECRET: The doubled loop is not as innocent as 
it appears. T he actual formation is as in Figure 1 32, 



with the two loops linked together at some portion of 
its circumference. 

If you are sufficiently interested to try this out, 
you will probably develop your own move for bringing 
this state of affairs about. As simple a procedure as 
most is to hold the loop horizontally in front of you 
between your extended hands. 

The back of the left hand and the palm of the right 
hand are uppermost. The fingers encircle the cord. 
Bring the two hands together and take the cord in the 
left hand only but, as the hands approach each other, 
you give the left hand a half turn away from you so that 
the palm is uppermost and the right hand makes a half 
turn toward you so that the back of the hand is upper¬ 
most. These combined moves form the link at that 
part of the cord most distant from your left hand. 

Rotate the cord through your left hand until the 
link comes under your thumb where it is concealed by 
it and your first finger. 


97 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Cut through the doubled loop a short distance from 
where you are holding it. This apparently separates the 
cord into three parts as six ends are visible but the ends 
that you are holding at the tips of your fingers belong 
to a very short piece. 

It is these ends, and a small portion of the cord 
itself, that are placed in the mouth. The short piece is 
shoved by the tongue to the side of the mouth. The 
cord is grasped at either side of the mouth and slowly 
pulled forth restored. 

Instead of placing the cord in the mouth, the short 
piece could be tied, Figures 1 20 and 121, and cut away, 
Figure 1 25. 

SIMPLE STRING RESTORATION 

The magician uses a piece of thin, pliable string. 
He holds the string in the left hand and lets the spec¬ 
tators gauge the length of it. 

Then he holds the string between his hands, and it 
is fairly cut in the center. In fact, both pieces of string 
are shown quite separate. 

The ends of the strings are brought together and 
the string is rolled up between the fingers. A moment 
later the magician draws out the string, and it is com¬ 
pletely restored to its original length and condition. 

Just one piece of string is used, and it is about 
eighteen inches long. Before showing the trick the 
magician winds about six inches of the string around 
the tip of his left second finger, so that just a few inches 
of string hang from his left hand. He then exhibits the 
string, his left forefinger hiding the loops that encircle 


98 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

the second finger. The string appears to be about a 
foot long. 

Taking the long end of the string in his right 
fingers, the magician lets a spectator cut it in the center. 
He then appears to have two pieces of string, each about 
six inches long. In reality the piece in his left hand 
measures twelve inches. 

In bringing the ends together, and rolling up the 
string, the magician pokes the short piece into his left 
hand, slips the loops from his finger, and draws out a 
string twelve inches long! 

The short piece of string is either dropped on the 
floor or hidden at the base of the left thumb. To the 
spectators, the original string has been cut and restored, 

TWYNO 

EFFECT: A fairly stiff piece of cord about three 
feet long is used. Show your hands to be otherwise 
perfectly empty and then hold the cord in your right 
hand about fourteen inches from one end. Next seize 
hold of the short end with your left hand thumb and 
forefinger with your right hand held above your left. 
Your right hand next draws the cord back over your 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

left forefinger, and under your second left finger as 
shown in Figure 133. 

Your right hand now brings the cord back over 
your left hand little finger, under your third finger, over 
your second, and under your first, the cord on its return 
trip being made to pass across the center joints of your 
left hand fingers; the long end of the cord you permit 
to hang free over your left thumb. Figure 134 il¬ 
lustrates just how your left hand now looks. 

A member of the company is requested, at this 
point, to cut the string where it passes over the back 
of your left hand second finger, Figure 1 34, a pair of 
scissors being used for the purpose. 

Then without covering your left hand with any¬ 
thing, nor permitting your right to approach it, move 
your left hand slowly in the air, with its back toward 
your friends. Suddenly the severed ends of the cord 
leap together and reunite in full view of all! You un¬ 
wind the cord with your right hand and pass it out for 
examination. 

SECRET: The trick lies in what happens on the 
return trip of the cord as it is brought back from the 
little finger of the left hand to the left thumb. Arrange 
the cord just as shown in Figure 1 33. When you pass 
it up and around your little finger, you secretly seize 
the short end, B, C, Figure 1 33, of the cord with the 
thumb and forefinger of your right hand and secretly 
draw this short end up over your second finger. The 
long end, A, accordingly does not appear on the back 
of the left hand at all, but crosses on the underside of 
your left fingers, directly to your left thumb over which 
it is permitted to hang. Thfc short end, B, C, is just long 


100 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


enough to permit of its being held between your left 
thumb and left forefinger. 

When that portion of the string passing over your 
left second finger, Figure 1 34, is cut as previously de¬ 
scribed, you face your friends and, as you slowly wave 
your left hand back and forth, bend your left second 
finger inwards towards its palm and insert its end, 
Figure 1 33, underneath the long portion of the string. 

Immediately straighten out these fingers and at the 
same moment slightly spread apart your other left hand 
fingers. This movement will cause the short end of 
cord to slide clear by your second finger. The short 
piece remaining in your left hand is clipped between 
your thumb and forefinger at their roots. The spectators 
actually seem to see the cord reunite itself. 

When you remove the cord from your left hand 
fingers, get the short, cut piece between your right 
thumb and forefinger and hold it concealed there while 
you exhibit your empty left hand and the restored (?) 
string. 


IMPROMPTU STRING RESTORATION 

EFFECT: A string is cut into two nearly equal 
parts. The ends are tied together but the knot dissolves 
and the string is as good as it ever was. 

SECRET: Hold the string as shown in Figure 

1 36. Right hand brings its end up, Figure 1 37, and 
places it between the tips of first finger and thumb of 
left hand, Figure 1 38. 

Let the cord drop from your left hand. Spectators 
can clearly see that center of cord is just about where 
you are holding it with right hand. 


101 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



Again grasp the string as in Figure I 36 and bring 
up the right hand end as before, Figures 137 and 138. 

Ask a spectator to cut the cord just about at the 
middle. As he reaches for the knife or scissors, you 
alter the position of the cord without changing its ap¬ 
pearance to the volunteer. This is accomplished by 
dropping the cord from between your right hand 
fingers, grasping the cord just beneath the left thumb, 
Figure 1 39, and raising it to the position formerly oc¬ 
cupied by that portion of the cord you dropped. The 


102 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

dropped cord takes up the position just vacated by that 
part of the cord you now hold in your right hand, 
Figure 140. 

Figure 141 shows that the spectator really cuts a 
short piece of the end instead of cutting through the 
cord’s center. After the cut, the ends are dropped so 
that it appears that the cord is in two nearly equal parts, 
Figure 1 42. 

The short piece, apparently the ends, is knotted, 
Figures 1 44 and 1 45, and two spectators given the cord 
to hold, Figure 1 43. 

Conceal the knot by closing the right hand over it, 
Figure 1 46. Slide the right hand along the cord to the 
right carrying the concealed knot with it. Left hand 
is closed around cord where knot was, Figure 147. It 
appears that you covered the knot with the right hand, 
changed your mind, and then covered it with the left. 

Ask the spectator on your right to grasp the cord 
a little closer to the center. You keep the cord from 
dropping as the spectator changes the position of his 
hand. This alteration of position is all that you require 
in order to slip the knot off the end of the cord from 
where it may be readily disposed of in many ways. 

EDDIE JOSEPH’S RESTORED STRING 

A length of twine is handed to a spectator with the 
instructions that the same be measured, cut and knotted 
in the usual manner. The performer, after showing 
both hands empty, takes string from party and winds 
it around his left index finger. Please remember (as the 
magic catalogue would say) the actual cut string is 
wound around the finger. 


03 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The right hand is shown empty and a few passes 
made with it over the index finger. A spectator is told 
to grasp one end of the string and pull it off your 
finger. When this is done, the string is found restored. 

The performer shows both hands empty, and they 
really are empty. 

SECRET: After reading the effect you will 

naturally conclude that the string has been exchanged 
after the cut, but at the moment we are more con¬ 
cerned with the method employed to effect the change. 

A hollow finger is made to fit over your own left 
index finger. It reaches to the second joint. I had mine 
made of silver by a jeweler and it is painted flesh color 
with nail and other details complete. When this is 
slipped over my real finger and the hand kept slightly 
in motion, it is absolutely indetectible at close range. 
So much for the apparatus—now for using it. 

Before commencing the trick, wind a piece of 
duplicate twine around your real index finger and slip 
the hollow finger over this. 

After the twine has been cut and knotted by a 
spectator, show both hands empty and then wind the 
twine around the index finger—really over the false 
finger. 

Show right hand empty and then make a few 
passes over the finger by moving right hand up and 
down. On the third or fourth pass, clip the false finger 
by bending the second and third finger and pull it away 
from over the index finger. In other words, the false 
finger is finger palmed in the right hand. This is one 
continuous move and done under pretense of a pass. 
Audience has nothing to suspect as the duplicate twine 


104 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

on finger is exposed and believed by them to be the one 
wound in their presence. 

As soon as the false finger is carried away by right 
hand, suddenly bend forward and ask spectator to pull 
twine off the finger. Simultaneously with this bending, 
the right hand gets rid of false finger by dropping it in 
the pochette or slipping it under the vest. 

The right hand is now ready to be shown empty 
before the string is completely unwound off the index 
finger. 


OVETTE’S SUPREME STRING MYSTERY 

This variation of the previous trick is said to be, 
in Mr. Ovette’s opinion, the finest cut and restored 
string effect ever evolved. 

The requirements for the stunt are simply a length 
of wrapping twine and a thumb tip which fits loosely 
over your right thumb. Cut a long length of twine into 
two equal parts. Wrap one of the pieces around the 
right thumb, rather tightly, and the thumb tip is slipped 
over the string to conceal its presence. 

PRESENTATION: Take the duplicate string in 
the right hand. Hand string and scissors to a spectator 
who is requested to cut it into two or three pieces. The 
cut cord is then tied by the spectator into one length. 
Take the string in this tied condition and have spectator 
retain one end. Wrap the twine around your thumb. 
As you do this the spectator is naturally drawn toward 
you as the string gets shorter. There need be no fear 
of detection as the spectator approaches for by this time 
the thumb tip should be well covered. Make a slight 


105 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


turn away from the spectator toward the audience and, 
as you make the turn, simultaneously slip off the string- 
covered thumb tip. Nothing different in appearance 
will be noticed since the removal of the thumb tip 
brings the second piece of string into view. Turn back 
to the assisting spectator and, as you do so, bring your 
hands apart. Request the volunteer to again grasp the 
end of the string and draw it off the thumb. As he does 
this, your other hand with thumb tip palmed goes into 
the pocket and leaves all the evidence. 

If this appears a bit bold, you may go into the 
pocket and bring forth some small object which is sup¬ 
posed to possess mystic power (a Chinese Coin is 
ideal), touch the string with the coin, and then have 
the spectator remove the duplicate string as explained. 
The twine is found fully restored. 

LOUIS F. CHRISTIANER’S FAVORITE STRING 
TRICK 

A length of string is cut into small pieces, which 
are then placed in a glass of water. Using a pencil the 
performer takes out the wet pieces, and places them in 
the left hand, holding them between the thumb and 
first finger. Then squeezing the water out of the pieces, 
he immediately draws them out, the string being fully 
restored. 

SECRET: Very little preparation is required for 
this fine method. A duplicate length of string must 
be wrapped around the end of the pencil rather loosely. 
This is then placed in the left vest pocket, or other 
place where the performer carries his pencil. 

Cut up the length of string, and drop the pieces into 
the glass of water. Now with the right hand remove 


106 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


the pencil and holding it by the end with the string, he 
fishes out the wet pieces with the other end. The pencil 
is now transferred to the left hand with the thumb and 
first finger of same concealing the string around the 
end. The right hand takes off the wet pieces, squeezes 
out the water and pretends to place them between the 
thumb and first finger of the left hand, really retaining 
them in the right, which at once takes the pencil, while 
the duplicate piece is exposed. 

The pencil is placed in the pocket, pieces with it, 
while the other length of string is drawn out, apparently 
the original restored. 

A little practice is required to get the moves, but 
after once mastered, it is very fine indeed. 


THE MASTER CUT AND RESTORED STRING 

The method used to produce the following effect 
is so little known that the proper presentation of the 
trick admits of no satisfactory solution to the beholder. 

An ordinary piece of string is measured by some¬ 
one of the group and found, say, to be thirty-two inches 
in length. This string is then folded in the middle and 
held in the performer’s left hand, the loop end pro¬ 
jecting three or four inches above his thumb and fore¬ 
finger. The loop is now cut and the resulting ends 
lighted with a match. The burning ends are finally ex¬ 
tinguished, squeezed together and a few magic passes 
made over them by the performer’s right hand when, 
behold, the string is found to have been mysteriously 
restored and still to measure exactly thirty-two inches 
in length. 


107 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


SECRET: The secret lies in the fact that the 
measured string is not cut at all. The conjuror, un¬ 
known to the spectators, makes use of a bit of accessory 
apparatus consisting of a loop of string made from a 
similar piece of string and to the knotted ends of which 
is securely tied a length of black silk-cord elastic, Figure 

148 . 



The other end of the elastic is attached by means 
of a safety pin to the back of the performer’s vest, near 
the top. The small loop of string is tucked into the 
left vest (watch) pocket and held in place by a pin so 
placed that the performer’s left hand fingers can in¬ 
stantly detach the loop when wanted. In this same vest 
pocket must be a small pair of scissors or a pen knife. 

Equipped as described you are ready to present the 
trick. The string having been measured, divide it in 
the middle and hold it in your right hand. At this 
moment you remember that you need a knife. You 
reach into your left vest pocket for the knife previously 
placed there and at the same time secretly get possession 
of the small loop of string. Immediately pass the knife 
into your right hand in exchange for the doubled end 
of the long string. You next apparently pull the looped 
or doubled end of the long string up through your left 


108 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


hand, but in reality you hold it concealed and draw up 
the loop attached to the elastic instead, Figure 1 49. 

This visible, fake loop is now cut and lighted. As 
soon as the burning ends are extinguished and pressed 
together, and a few magic passes made with your right 
hand to heighten the effect, the elastic is permitted to 
draw the small loop secretly beneath your coat. There¬ 
upon you triumphantly exhibit the restored string. 

A stiff, tough wrapping cord will prove the most 
satisfactory. While holding the fake loop, keep your 
left hand in such a position that the black elastic will 
be concealed against that side of your left wrist which 
is next to your body thus preventing anyone from 
catching a glimpse of it. A little practice will enable 
you to make all the required moves in a perfectly 
natural manner, without fumbling. 

S. B. BLODGETT’S DOUBLE RESTORATION 

EFFECT: Two strings are examined. They are 
of stiff wrapping cord or braided fish line and are each 
eighteen inches long. The performer holds the strings 
so that a spectator may cut through the center of both 
simultaneously. The cut strings are held wide apart— 
two separate halves in each hand. All four pieces are 
now placed in the left hand, spectator grasps two ends 
and pulls them away from the magician. Both strings 
are restored. 

SECRET: An extra piece is tied in a loop about 
one and a half inches in diameter. Make a tight knot 
and trim the ends up close. Clip this loop between the 
first and second fingers of the right hand so that the 
loop stays open. 


09 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


After the strings are examined, take them back in 
the left hand. Grasp both ends near the top and place 
them in the right hand. As you do so, it is easy to push 
the ends right through the loop and grasp them between 
the first finger and thumb of the right hand as they 
emerge on the other side. It is almost like threading a 
needle. Grasp the ends in left hand and pull them up 
so that loop is about at center. 



Figure 1 50 shows just how the strings and loop 
are held at the start of this move. 

Now take one string in one hand and the other 
string in the other hand with the loop stretched be¬ 
tween, Figure 151. The strings are held at A and B 
with the thumbs and first fingers. The dotted line in¬ 
dicates where spectator cuts thinking he is dividing the 
two strings at the centers. 

Hold your hands a distance apart with what ap¬ 
pears to be two halves of the strings in each. They are 
then passed to the left hand during which action C and 
D ends are shifted to opposite sides. As the spectator 
takes two ends and draws the strings away, you palm 
off the two short pieces of what remains of the loop. 


110 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


L. W. PACKAGE CORD MYSTERY 

This little experiment is briefly prefaced, as fol¬ 
lows : 

“No matter how smoothly we go through life, there 
are some problems that all of us must face, and one of 
them is this: when we get a package, shall we cut the 
cord off to get the package open quicker, or shall we 
try to untie it so as to have the cord in case we should 
want it again? Everyone worries about this save the 
magician. He does both. I will show you how. Here 
I have a piece of heavy package cord. I haven’t any 
package to go with it, but you will have to imagine that. 
We will suppose that the cord is around the package, 
and that I want to get it off. I will merely take a pair 
of scissors, and snip it through the center, thus; cutting 
it, in fact, wherever necessary in order to get it off the 
package in the shortest possible space of time. So far, 
so good. But suppose later I wish to use the cord? I 
merely blow upon it, and lo, it is as good as new, and 
can be used for tying up anything I wish!” 

The working of this experiment is perfectly simple. 
On the outside of one of the blades of the scissors is 
soldered a small tube, which has a bottom. In this tube 
is an extra piece, looped, of the same kind of cord as 
is used, Figure 1 52. 



The performer first shows the cord, and then 
doubles it, grasping it by the looped center in his left 


111 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


hand, which is closed into a fist. He makes a half turn, 
so that his right side is to the audience. The right hand 
takes the scissors from the table, keeping the side on 
which the tube is soldered away from the audience. 
Now, with the same hand, still holding the scissors, he 
apparently draws the looped center of the cord up out 
of the left fist. Actually the left hand merely grips the 
extra loop, which is drawn out of the tube into view. 
The movement appears perfectly regular. 

The supposed center of the cord is now cut. With 
the aid of the right hand the whole cord is then looped 
up into the left hand, in a number of irregular loops, 
tangled together. As the performer remarks that he 
“cuts the cord wherever necessary to get it off the 
package in the shortest possible space of time” he ap¬ 
parently slashes into this looped cord at different places 
with the tips of the scissor blades, and small pieces 
clipped off fall to the floor. Actually he cuts nothing 
except the extra piece, which is cut away, leaving the 
cord whole, but due to the intricate position of the cord 
the performer appears to be cutting into the cord at 
different spots more or less at random. In this par¬ 
ticular experiment at least, this is a much better excuse 
for the disposing of the extra loop than cutting a piece 
openly from each end, as many will believe that the cord 
has been cut a number of times. The scissors are laid 
aside; the performer blows upon the cord and then 
opens it out to show it restored. 

This method of working the experiment is very 
easy, but the magician must take care to keep the faked 
side of the scissors from the view of the audience. A 
very thick package cord must be employed to get the 
best effect. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


LE-ROY’S HINDOO YARN MYSTERY 

EFFECT: A piece of RED YARN about thirty 
inches long is used. It is BROKEN at about the center 
and the pieces held wide apart, one in each hand. The 
broken ends are placed together and the yarn becomes 
restored. 

Aside from the fact that it is broken instead of cut, 
this method is a distinct novelty in that absolutely 
nothing is used but the one piece of unprepared yarn. 

SECRET: Break the yarn and show that it is 

actually in two pieces. Place the two broken ends to¬ 
gether so that they overlap each other about a quarter 
of an inch. Touch the left thumb and forefinger to the 
lips, to moisten them, and with these you gently but 
firmly roll the ends over and over TOWARDS YOU. 
The right hand momentarily lifts the other two ends of 
the yarn to lead the attention of the audience away from 
the movement of the left hand fingers. 

Left hand now releases the yarn while the right 
hand holds it up by one extreme end. It appears to be 
completely restored. A little practice will render the 
“mending” process easy and it will deceive perfectly at 
only a few feet distant. 

About the best way to conclude this trick is to roll 
the yarn into a small ball, hold it between the thumb 
and second finger of the left hand, apparently take it 
in the right hand, really executing the French drop, and 
toss it (?) to a spectator. 

ELLIS STANYON’S STRING RESTORATION 

EFFECT: An envelope is sealed and the ends cut 
off in order to form a paper tube. This paper tube is 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


threaded on a cord. Performer snips envelope in two 
with a pair of scissors but when the two halves of the 
envelope are separated, the string is found to be as good 
as ever. 

SECRET: The envelope is secretly prepared. A 
vertical slit has been made across the address side. This 
is best accomplished by inserting a piece of cardboard in 
the envelope and making a slit with the corner of a 
sharp razor blade. Discard the cardboard and insert this 
prepared envelope in a package of ordinary ones. In 
presenting the trick, you remove your prepared en¬ 
velope, seal it, cut off the ends and thread the cord 
through it, being careful at all times to conceal the slit 
from your audience. 

Hold the envelope up in front of you with the left 
hand. Prepared side is toward you. Insert one point 
of the scissors into the bottom of the slit in the envelope. 
Push the scissors up under the cord and out through the 
top end of the slit. Now when you cut, the envelope 
will be separated but the cord will be unharmed. 

If a tiny triangle of paper is cut away at each end 
of the slit, it will facilitate the insertion of the point of 
the scissors. The envelope should be separated with 
one continuous cut. 

T. PAGE WRIGHT’S VARIATION 

The effect is the same but the proper position for 
the scissors, in only apparently cutting the cord, is 
located far more readily. The very careless and easy 
manner in which the cut is made improves the presenta¬ 
tion considerably. 

The only difference is that TWO vertical and 
parallel cuts, about half an inch apart, are made. The 


114 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

string goes in the end of the envelope, out the first slit, 
in the second slit, and on out the other end of the en¬ 
velope. This is easily accomplished if the narrow strip 
of paper, formed by the two slits, is so creased that its 
tendency is to curve away from the address side of en¬ 
velope when you bulge your impromptu tube and lower 
the end of the cord vertically through it. 

There is a half an inch of cord now on the outside 
of the envelope toward you under which the point of 
the scissors find their way almost automatically. 

RUPERT SLATER’S VARIATION 

A cut is made across one side of a packet of 
cigarettes. The cigarettes are replaced and the packet 
carried in your vest pocket. 

PRESENTATION: Take the packet from your 
pocket and empty the cigarettes on the table. Cut the 
bottom off the packet with a pair of scissors. The 
result is a kind of endless broad band. Pass a cord 
through this band, then take the ends of the cord, one 
in each hand, and twirl so that the packet revolves on 
the cord. This indirectly proves all fair, as the cut will 
not be noticed. It also proves that the cord really passes 
through the packet. Drop the whole lot on the table 
taking care that the prepared side of the packet is un¬ 
dermost. Now move the packet along the cord so that 
it is nearly—but not quite—in the center. It only re¬ 
mains to cut through the packet as in the other methods, 
the spectator thinking you have cut through the cord. 
Do not, at this point, separate the two halves of the 
packet. Ask the spectators just which of the two pieces 
of the cord they believe to be the longest. 


115 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


When guesses have been made, separate the packet 
and great will be the surprise of the audience to find 
the cord whole. The spectators will have been expect- 
ing an optical illusion, especially if you prefix the ex¬ 
periment with demonstrations of that type. 

BAFFLING STRING RESTORATION 

This is still another variation of the original 
Stanyon method. The very puzzling addition in this 
version is that, under pretense of showing the envelope 
that is used to be perfectly empty, the spectators who 
might be familiar with the original or might otherwise 
suspect previous preparation later, are convinced that 
the envelope is free from slits. 

This clever idea is an adaptation of Charles T. 
Jordan’s Bisected Queen Mystery. 

SECRET: The envelope IS prepared by cutting a 
vertical slit in the center of the address side and insert¬ 
ing an address side, including the flap, cut from a second 
envelope. The flaps are then stuck together. By con¬ 
cealing the slit with the fingers, this envelope may be 
shown both sides AND FREELY INSIDE. 

PRESENTATION: Envelope is proven empty. It 
is sealed and the ends clipped off. The cord is now in¬ 
serted but in the back compartment of envelope. En¬ 
velope, now a tube, is shown from both sides while 
fingers conceal the slit. It is then turned slit side down. 

One end of envelope is held in left hand. The right 
hand picks up the scissors with the narrowest pointed 
blade down. You now apparently cut the envelope and 
cord squarely in two but in the cutting the lower blade 
of the scissors goes ABOVE the cord instead of below, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

only the two upper thicknesses of the envelope being 
cut. The lower thickness was cut before you began. 
This cut should coincide with the cut on lower side. 
Thus, when completed, the envelope is in two pieces 
and on drawing them off the ends and crumpling them 
up, the card is found unhurt. The illusion, if de¬ 
liberately worked, is perfect. 

W1SENHEIMER STRING RESTORATION 

EFFECT: Two volunteers hold a three or four 
foot string horizontally between them. A letter-size 
envelope is freely displayed and the gummed flap is 
sealed over the string. The performer now cuts the 
envelope in half but the string is uninjured. Both halves 
of the envelope may be slid back and forth along the 
string as they are actually threaded thereon. 

The envelope is not double, it does not bear a slit 
either front or back, and both string and scissors are 
ordinary. 

SECRET: Nevertheless there is a slit in the en¬ 
velope. This slit is made with a razor blade directly in 
the center of the fold beneath the flap. 

PRESENTATION: Have the volunteers hold the 
cord as described. The envelope is shown quite care¬ 
lessly. Seal the flap over the string at about the center. 
Grasp the envelope in the tips of the right thumb on 
the side nearest you and the first and second fingers 
nearest audience, just at the slit. Ask the volunteers 
to release the ends of the string momentarily. Revolve 
the envelope for one complete turn between your 
fingers so that audience see it from all sides. You will 
end up with the envelope gripped in the same manner 
in which you started. 


117 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Request the volunteers to again hold the ends of 
the string and, just before they take them, you turn the 
envelope parallel with the floor and with your thumb 
on the under side. It is now that you steal a little slack. 
Slide your thumb toward you and a loop of string will 
be drawn through the slit and concealed by your first 
and second fingers. 

Slide your thumb away from you again and this 
loop will be transferred to the under side of the en¬ 
velope. Pass the envelope to the left hand, thumb on 
top and second finger beneath holding loop pressed 
against envelope. Pick up scissors with right hand, slip 
point of under blade through loop, cut, and the string 
will be unharmed. 

JOSEPH KOLAR’S STRAW AND STRING TRICK 

EFFECT No. 1 : A box of soda straws are offered 
to a spectator from which he chooses one. He is now 
given a length of string and asked to thread it through 
the straw as in Figure 1 53. The spectator may use his 
own string if desired. 

The straw is actually cut by the spectator himself 
but the string is immediately shown fully restored. 

There is only one straw and one string used. No 
twists or pieces to trim away. It may be performed 
while surrounded on all sides. 

SECRET: With a razor blade, you make a two 
inch slit in the center of the straw, Figure 1 53. After 
spectator has threaded the string through the straw, 
you take them and pull the string back and forth as if 
to center it, but really to enable you to locate the slot. 
Next grip the straw and string in the middle of the slot 


1 18 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



and bend as in Figure 1 54. Straw is then held so that 
top of bend is flush with the first finger as in Figure 
155. Fingers MUST be held close together to conceal 
next move. You now pull on either one or both ends 
of string as if trying to get both ends even and in doing 
this you pull string down through slit, Figure 1 56. 

Before pulling string, be sure that thumb conceals 
space where string will stop, Figure 157. Straw can 
then be pushed up above tops of fingers—spread apart 
a bit and shown freely from both sides. Now you can 
wrap a small rubber band about the straw as if to keep 
it from spreading, but really to conceal the string—in 
other words the rubber band now takes the place of 


9 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

your thumb and fingers in covering string. In this 
fashion you are perfectly safe in handing the straw to 
the spectator and asking him to cut the straw close to 
the rubber band. If you lack confidence, the rubber 
band can be dispensed with and you can hold the straw 
yourself. The straw is snipped by the spectator, Figure 
I 58. Everyone is thoroughly convinced that the string 
as well as the straw is fairly cut in two. 

You now hold two pieces of straw, Figure 158. 
Bring the straws together, Figure 159. If spectator 
holds straws, you, of course, move straws together 
while he holds them as if to show him what to do. Now 
pull string back and forth as at beginning of trick and 
finally remove first one and then the other half of the 
straw, Figure 160. Show the string restored, Figure 
161. 

EFFECT No. 2: Using a large darning needle you 
can thread a red, a white, and a blue piece of silk thread 
through the straw. Chosen color is pulled down using 
the same tactics as has been already described, and 
when straw is cut, it is discovered that the two other 
colors were cut along with the straw but the freely 
chosen strand is unharmed. How two can be cut with¬ 
out injuring the third appears to be nothing short of 
marvelous. 

EFFECT No. 3: Use a light chain and a pair of 
light tinner’s snips for effect and you can cut and re¬ 
store a chain. A light flexible wire will work equally 
as well. 

EFFECT No. 4: Make a tube from stiff paper 
about two and one-half feet long and one inch in 
diameter. Cut a slit in the center about three inches 


120 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

long. Make a needle by forming a loop on the end of 
a stiff wire which you use in threading a ribbon through 
the tube. Instead of snipping off tube as in string 
effect, cut right through tube where it is bent—this will 
leave two ends sticking up. 

If you glue a piece of ribbon three inches long 
directly opposite slit inside of tube, this fake will show, 
after the cut, and appear as part of the ribbon. Cut 
pieces of tube off right below the fake pieces and then 
proceed to do the restoring. Fake, however, is not 
necessary. 

EFFECT No. 5: Use the same kind of tube— 
pass a rope through it and proceed as in the ribbon 
effect, cutting tube right through the bend. This leaves 
two distinct ends projecting one and one-half inches 
above your fingers and looks very convincing. Because 
the rope naturally spreads a gap in the tube, you twist 
each tube as if twisting it about the cut ends of the rope, 
but really to conceal the gap. In this fashion you can 
easily conceal the rope with the thumb as in the string 
effect and walk right into the audience and show tube 
and hands from both sides and nothing more convinc¬ 
ing has ever been produced. You now clip off a portion 
of the opposite ends of the rope to show lack of prepara 
tion. Then clip off the twisted ends of the tube—pro¬ 
ceed as in the string trick—throw the rope to the audi¬ 
ence—also the pieces of tube if you wish and you have 
performed a remarkable restoration. 

NELSON HAHNE’S VERSION 

When doing the Kolar Straw and String Trick 
there is frequently someone in the audience who has 
a vague idea as to how it is done. It is well known to 


21 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OP ROPE TRICKS 


every performer the value of knowing two entirely dif¬ 
ferent methods to bring about the same effect. Kolar’s 
Straw and String Trick combined with the following 
method will baffle any audience. 

PREPARATION: Thread a string through an un¬ 
prepared straw. Tie the ends together, trim the ends 
to make the knot as small as possible and draw this 
knot in to about the center of the straw. Tie a short 
piece around the real center of the cord. Actually the 
cord is prepared exactly as in the Germaine method 
with the exception that the ends are tied together, and 
concealed by the straw, instead of being stuck together. 

PRESENTATION: Untie the small piece of cord, 
apparently the ends of the long piece, and retain hold 
on the ends (?) as you give the straw, which is sup¬ 
posed to have the center of the string in it, to the 
spectator. In reality, unknown to the spectator, the two 
ends of the string are in the straw and the performer 
is holding the center of the string. 

The spectator is requested to bend the straw double 
and to cut off about one-half inch from the doubled 
center. This small piece of straw that is cut off con¬ 
tains the joined real ends; it falls to the floor, and all 
the evidence is practically destroyed. 

You now take the two cut ends in your right hand 
and slide the two halves of the straw to the center of 
the strings. After pattering a bit, slide them on up 
close to your left hand where you are holding the actual 
center of string. Place the ends of the straws together, 
as in Figure 1 59, and the string is pulled out fully re¬ 
stored. Pieces of straw are dropped to the floor and 
the small piece of string (imitation ends) is easily dis¬ 
posed of. 


22 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


It is suggested that this method be used only after 
having worked Kolar’s. 

GEORGE WRIGHT’S VERSION 

EFFECT: A length of ordinary, white wrapping 
cord is threaded through an examined straw. The 
straw, and apparently the string, is snipped in two with 
a pair of scissors but again the string escapes mutilation. 
There is no preliminary bending of the straw and it may 
be cut through whatever portion is indicated by a 
spectator. 

SECRET: Straw and string are quite unprepared 
although the latter should be a silk thread or soft cord. 
The solution lies in the fact that the blades of the 
scissors are blunted. It is impossible to cut through the 
string with them; it is merely drawn up between the 
blades. But the same scissors cut the straw quite 
readily. You have only to try it once to realize that 
here is a trick that practically works itself—and a very 
good trick. 


FLOYD THAYER’S WIZZO 

REQUIRED: A fairly stiff piece of paper, like the 
stock of a magazine cover, creased into three folds 
lengthwise. 

A length of rather heavy ordinary cotton wrapping 
twine. Also have a pair of scissors handy, with rather 
slim points. 

PRESENTATION: First show the paper, which 
you open up, and hold in the left hand as in Figure 1 62 

With the right hand lay the string along the length 
of the paper, in left side fold as at C, Figure 1 62 of the 


123 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 





drawing. Now with right thumb fold over the side A, 
and immediately follow by folding over side C, on top 
of fold A, with the left thumb. 

Meanwhile as you start to fold C, with the tip of 
your right thumb, slightly draw the center portion of 
the string to the right, so that it forms a sort of loop 


124 





















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


which overlaps between the folds A and C of the paper, 
Figure 163. 

Now, as you hold the folded paper firmly between 
the fingers and thumb of the left hand at the center, 
casually show the paper on both sides, and which may 
be done, for as yet the loop lies hidden between the two 
folds of the paper, and is retained so by pressure of the 
left thumb. 

Next, turn the paper to the position in Figure 164, 
with front facing audience, and slightly pull down, first 
one end of the string and then the other several times, 
remarking that it is necessary to have the string about 
evenly centered in the paper. 

The reason for doing this is to really cause the loop 
to emerge slightly above the edge of the fold, Figure 

164. 

By a slight upward pressure by the tip of the left 
thumb as you pull the string back and forth, you will 
find that the string assumes this position quite readily. 

When the loop of string thus becomes visible, 
change the position of the left hand as shown at Figure 
163 and with the right pick up the scissors and insert¬ 
ing the point of one blade between the string and paper, 
Figure 163, sharply snip the folded paper in two. 

Still retaining the two halves of the paper after 
making the cut, grasp an end of the string with the right 
hand, and draw it completely forth, showing that it is 
not cut at all, and let the two portions of the paper float 
gracefully to the floor, or pass all for examination as 
your fancy may indicate. 


125 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


L. W. RESTORING THE STRING 

In this method only an ordinary pen knife and a 
piece of string are used. It really adds to the effect in 
this case to measure the string. If no yard stick is handy 
a simple method of measuring is to stretch it along a 
table, say, or some similar piece of furniture of proper 
length, when simply stretching it along the table at the 
finish proves the length to be the same without the 
necessity of fussing with a tape or ruler. 

An extra piece of string is placed in the pen knife, 
in the opening for the blade, and then the blade is closed 
in on it, holding it securely in place to be carried in the 
pocket as long as desired. The two ends of string are 
permitted to project slightly at the end, so that they may 
be easily grasped. The knife is carried in a pocket on 
the right side. 

The string having been measured is doubled and 
held by the center between the left forefinger and 
thumb. The right hand dives into the pocket and 
brings out the knife; as it does the hands are brought 
momentarily together and the steal of the extra loop 
made from the knife. The false loop is now pulled into 
view and the cutting is done. This leaves four ends 
visible. Have a spectator knot the two projecting ends. 
They really belong to your short added piece. Dispose 
of this extra piece when you replace the knife in your 
pocket, show the string restored and measure it again 
to prove that it is the original length. 

A pen knife only is suitable for this effect, the 
blade of a jack knife being too heavy for the loop to 
slip easily out from under while it is still closed down 
in the knife handle. 


126 


CHAPTER 5 

CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 
(Impromptu) 










* 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Chapter 5. CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 
(Impromptu) 

FIGURE “8” ROPE RESTORATION 

The previous chapter was included in this book 
primarily to show the evolution of the cut and restored 
rope from its earlier cousin the cut and restored string, 
and permit comparison of the necessarily similar prin¬ 
ciples involved. 

Some of those first methods have been altered al¬ 
most beyond recognition but if you turn back to the 
Figure “8” String Restoration you will find that the 
moves there described will work equally well with a 
rope. It is suggested, however, that you follow the 
presentation outlined in the final paragraph of instruc¬ 
tions. 


THE “HINDOO” ROPE RESTORATION 

EFFECT: A soft rope about ten feet long is used. 
I he performer places the approximate center of the 
rope in his mouth while he holds his hands raised, palms 
toward the audience, displaying them to be perfectly 
empty. He now grasps the right hand end in his right 
hand about three inches from the end. The left hand 
does the same with the opposite end. These ends are 
brought up alongside the mouth, backs of hands to 
audience, ends of rope pressed against the inside of the 
center of the rope with the thumbs. The rope is now 
lifted away from the mouth and will be found in the 
position illustrated in Figure 166. The thumbs have 


129 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



been lifted to reveal how the ends are placed. Actually 
they would be pressed at the positions indicated by the 
arrows at B and D. This is, of course, the state of 
affairs as would be seen by you. 

A spectator cuts the rope between your first 
fingers. The cut ends are tied in a knot, the knot is 
trimmed smaller and smaller, and finally the knot is cut 
away entirely to reveal the rope restored. 

SECRET: Everything is just as described until 
you ask the spectator to cut the rope. The scissors are 
on a table to your left. You indicate where they are 
by a motion toward them with both hands. At the 
same time, you drop D-D from your second third and 
little finger and grasp A-A, just below the actual center 
of the rope, so that when your right hand returns to its 
former position you now have the arrangement depicted 
in Figure 167. The other fingers have not been in¬ 
active. The right thumb and first finger have retained 
a grip on C-C just above the center of the rope. The 
left hand second, third and little fingers have opened 
out, gripped the center of the rope and pulled it down 
to the position indicated by the arrow, marked B, in 
Figure 167. The action of opening out these left hand 


130 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


fingers also shoves the rope at A-A out into the proper 
position to be taken in the right hand fingers. 

It will now be seen, Figure 1 67, that when the rope 
is cut between the fingers that instead of separating it 
at the center, merely a short piece is snipped off one 
end. 

Try these moves with a piece of rope in hand and 
you will find that they may be easily and quickly ac¬ 
complished, not nearly as complicated as they sound in 
print. 


BLUEY-BLUEY’S METHOD 

EFFECT: The method to which this clever 

carnival performer’s name has been associated, is very 
similar to the last described. 



The rope is first held as shown in Figure 1 68. it 
is held at A-A by the first fingers and thumbs, the right 
hand end in the left hand and the left hand end in the 
right hand. The little fingers curl around the rope at 

B-B. 


131 










ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The center of the rope is rested on the right knee 
and the knee raised so that the rope may be taken and 
held as in Figure 169. The first fingers and thumbs 
hold the rope at C-C and the second, third and little 
fingers curl around it at D-D. 

This position is the same as Figure 1 66 BUT in¬ 
stead of the two hanging loops being side by side, one 
hangs in front of the other. 

The rope is again cut between the hands and 
eventually shown restored. 

SECRET: Again a move is made secretly while 
indicating to the spectator to pick up the scissors and 
it is the same move as in the “Hindoo’’ Restoration. 
The subtle fact, that makes this presentation different 
from the one just previously explained, is that there is 
no perceptible difference in the appearance of the loops. 
One still hangs in front of the other, Figure 170, and 
the rope is cut near one end instead of through the 
center as it appears. 

ERIC IMPEY’S IMPROMPTU METHOD 

The rope is held in the right hand as shown in 
Figure 171, with about six inches protruding above the 
thumb. The second, third and fourth fingers are now 
closed, and the free hand gathers up the rope as shown 
in Figure 172. The free hand now takes up the loop, 
and holds it as shown in Figure 1 73 (this is as seen by 
the spectators), Y being the center of the whole rope. 
This part needs a little practice. After one or two trials 
you will find it quite simple to drape the rope so that 
the center comes in the correct position. Having got 
this far, the magician indicates that Y is actually the 


132 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



center of the rope, and opens his hands showing it 
clearly. 

Having convinced the spectators, the magician 
hands out a pair of scissors for examination, at the 
same time dropping the rope so that it is in position 
Figure 1 7 1 again. While he is holding the rope in this 
way, he apparently closes his fingers over it as before, 
but in actual fact what happens is this: He lets the 
rope swing slightly, and as he closes his fingers, it 
swings into the position in Figure 174 (the rope pass¬ 
ing behind the 2nd and 3rd fingers). You will now 
appreciate that when the second, third and fourth 


133 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

fingers are closed, you are apparently back at position 
Figure 172 once more. During the whole of this 
manipulation the palm of the hand faces the audience. 
The rope is now draped over the hand, completing (ap¬ 
parently) the position shown in Figure 172, and now 
the free hand goes to take up the loop at A, Figure 1 72, 
but under cover of the hand, the right thumb presses A 
into its palm, the other hand taking hold of the piece 
of rope behind the hand, which the little finger releases. 
The right hand now slides along the rope, giving it the 
appearance of Figure 1 73 again, while in fact the posi¬ 
tion is shown in Figure 1 73. 

The rope is cut at X, which is apparently the center, 
and the forefinger of the right hand presses the end up¬ 
wards, leaving the rope as shown in Figure 176. The 
cut piece can now either be tied through or over the 
main part. This is then cut away and the rope restored 
—and is thrown out for examination. 

DR. ERVIN’S ROPE RESTORATION 

Dr. Ervin claims to be the originator of this method 
and claims that he first used it to restore a ribbon. 

The rope is first doubled with the ends upward, the 
loop end hanging down, Figure 177. The loop end is 
brought up and placed against the actual ends, Figure 

178 . 

This formation is held by the thumb and forefinger 
and shown freely. You reach for your scissors but in 
doing so you “accidentally” drop an end of the loop, 
making it necessary to arrange the rope again. 

This second time, in bringing up the loop, a dif¬ 
ferent procedure is followed. Even at close range this 
new formation looks no different from the first. 


134 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




U 

This time the loop stops at the juncture of the 
thumb and fingers and is held there. Then a short loop, 
which is a doubled continuation of the left hand end, is 
pulled above the fingers to simulate the actual center. 
This move is shown in Figure 1 79 and the resulting ai- 
rangement is pictured in Figure 1 80. 

This is accomplished with one smooth, continued 
movement. With very little practice it may be executed 
indetectibly—even with the palm of the left hand to¬ 
ward the spectators. 

In presenting, get a spectator for an assistant. 
Hand him the scissors. “If I were to ask you to cut 
this rope so that we would have two pieces about the 
same length, where would you cut it?” 

The reply is invariably, “At the loop.” 


135 
















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


“Do you prefer to cut it just as I am holding it? 
Perhaps you would like me to make some slight 
change?” 

The reply is also invariably, “Just as it is.” 

“Very well. Seeing that it’s you, go ahead.” He 
cuts the rope through the protruding loop. 

“How many pieces did you say there are now?— 
Two? Correct. Suppose we cut it in a few more 
pieces.” 

Take the scissors and cut across the four protrud¬ 
ing ends, snipping off about one-third their length. 
Count them as they fall. “—She loves me, she loves 
me not.—” Cut across the remainder of the ends, 
counting them also. At this time grasp the rope below 
the fist and pull it into the hand a little, causing the re¬ 
maining short pieces to drop to the floor with the others. 

Your assistant is requested to pull one end of the 
rope and at the end you and the spectator are holding 
it between you. 

THE SHORT AND LONG ROPE MYSTERY 
(Harold Sterling) 

A trick with two boys from the audience, and great 
comedy possibilities. The essential part of the trick: 
After a rope is cut exactly in half, one piece becomes 
longer than the other, when one rope is cut off evenly 
with the other rope it is found to be longer, and so on 
until the two pieces finally become joined together. 

Although this trick uses an old move in a cut and 
restored rope I am sure that you will find the shorten¬ 
ing and lengthening to be new. This is not an arm- 


136 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

chair version but a real trick. I have used it in almost 
a hundred shows and still can t figure out why it gets 
so many laughs. I usually present this after 1 have 
finished my regular cut and restored rope routine, but 
it is good enough to be presented as a trick in itself. 

Now, for the working, patter in quotation marks. 
One boy on your left; one on the right. On the table, 
a pair of scissors and a clothesline. The longer the 
clothesline the better. I usually start with a bundle 
of a hundred feet. The rope should not have too much 
starch in it. The rope is handed to the boy on your 
left. He is told to measure off five feet. As he starts 
unwinding the rope, whisper to him to keep on un¬ 
winding. Then say ‘Are you sure you know how much 
five feet is? How tall are you?’ Quickly whisper to 
him to say nine feet. When he says it there is a laugh 
and you say: ‘Well, I see I will have to measure it my¬ 
self.’ Pick up your scissors and cut off about five feet. 
Whisper to him to put the rest of the rope in his pocket 
as you walk over and hand one end of the five foot 
piece of rope to the other boy. As soon as you see the 
boy on your left has the rope fairly well stuffed in his 
pocket walk over and pull it out of his pocket with a 
glare (a good laugh) as you hand him the other end 
of the five foot rope. Dispose of the bundle of rope. 
Now. tell the boys to examine the rope thoroughly and 
then tell them to pull and see if the rope is strong. Let 
them pull and usually you will have a tug of war. While 
the boys are examining the rope you can say, ‘Examine 
it thoroughly as every person in this audience is de¬ 
pending on your word as to whether this is a plain piece 
of clothesline or not.’ Now take the rope from them 
and have the boys stand one on each side close to you, 
facing the audience. 


137 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Hold the rope, one end in each hand and then say: 
‘Over in Egypt,’ and swing your right hand out in front 
of the boy on your right. As five or six inches of the 
rope is held in front of him the boy reaches for it. Just 
as he does, swing your hand back in front of you. The 
boy feels sheepish as he realizes he was not intended to 
take the rope. Then swing the left hand out in front 
of the boy at your left. Say, ‘The Egyptian Magician’ 
boy at left makes a grab for the rope and you pull it 
back. You need not look at boys, you can see their 
hands from the corner of your eye. To make sure the 
boys reach for the rope, just as you swing your hand in 
front of them, whisper ‘take it.’ (Right now might be 
a good time to tell you, that when you first get your 
boys up and are placing them whisper to them that if 
they want to stay up they will have to do everything 
you tell them. Also whisper to them never to stand 
in front of you. I have seen a lot of magicians that need 
this advice as they let their assistants obscure them 
from the audience’s view.) You can keep up this 
grabbing as long as you think the laughs are good, and 
you will get plenty. Finally say ‘All right, if you want 
this rope, I’ll give you each half of it.’ Hold the rope 
as in Figure 177: Two ends held in left hand clipped be¬ 
tween thumb and index finger, back of hand to audi¬ 
ence, ends extending about two or three inches above 
left hand. Now reach down with the right hand and 
pick up loop and bring it up in left hand as in Figure 
I 7 8 and swing the palm of left hand to audience. Point 
with right index finger at loop and say, while looking 
at the boys: ‘If I cut the rope here you will each get 
exactly half. Is that right?’ You accidentally let the 
loop fall, retaining the two ends. 


138 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The rope will now be held as in Figure 177. 
Quickly reach down with right hand and pick up loop 
and bring it up exactly as you did the first time (back 
of left hand now toward the audience) but as loop 
reaches palm of left hand, right hand picks up rope on 
left side, through the loop, with thumb and middle 
finger and draws it up to form a loop, Figures 1 79 and 
1 80, with the original loop lying in palm of left hand. 
The rope will now appear as in Figure 178, the left 
thumb covering the crossing of the ropes. Now take 
the scissors and cut the loop. There will be four ends 
projecting above your left hand: two ends of the short 
piece and two ends of the long piece of rope. Let the 
two ends of the long piece drop. To the audience it. 
appears as though there are two pieces held by the one 
end of each rope. In reality you are holding both ends 
of the short piece and the long piece is looped through 
this as in Figure 181. You will find that one end hangs 
down about six inches longer than the other. Without 
looking at the rope say, ‘Now we have two pieces of 
rope exactly the same length/ Audience will snicker 
or one of the boys will be apt to point at rope calling 
vour attention to it, or you can cue boy to point at rope. 
You turn to boy and say, ‘You told me that wo 1 H 
divide it in half.' With right hand pick up the two ends 
that are hanging down and hold the rope horizontally 
in front of you, Figure 182. You cheat a little by letting 
the longer end project about three inches beyond the 
other end of the rope instead of the six inches that it 
should. Have the boy on the right of you take the 
scissors and cut off this three inches and say, ‘Save that 
piece of rope for good luck.’ You can introduce some 
comedy at this point, that is, just as boy is about to cut 
the rope, by saying ‘cut the rope. Notice this is my 


139 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




finger (wriggle finger) and this is the rope (pointing 
at rope.)’ Now let go with right hand, still retaining 
rope in left hand. Once more rope hangs as in Figure 
181. 

Always remember to keep loop in left hand con- 
cealed so that to all appearances you have just two 
pieces of rope, held each by one end, hanging from 
your left hand. ‘Now they are the same length.’ Keep 
looking at the top ends and boy again points to bottom 
ends, and the audience laughs. Once more grab rope 
near the bottom ends and have boy cut off this extra 
three inches, rope being held horizontally. While the 
boy is cutting the rope, with your left thumb and fore* 
finger work the short piece of rope through the loop a 
few inches, Figure 183. Tell the boy to pick up the 
piece he has just cut off and take it home to his little 
sister for good luck. If he says he has no little sister, 
say ‘Well, just take it home to your big sister.* If he 
has no big sister, say, your little brother or if he has no 


140 

















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

little brother, your big brother, uncle, etc., until you 
have exhausted his relatives, or say angrily ‘Well, keep 
it yourself!’ 

Now hold the rope again vertically, hanging from 
the left hand. Point with right forefinger to bottom 
ends. ‘Now they are even.’ The audience will laugh 
as boy points to top ends which are not even. Have 
him cut off the extra length and to do this swing your 
left hand over in front of him. This will cause your 
arms to be in a crossed-position as the rope is held hori¬ 
zontally. With the right hand, which is partially con¬ 
cealed from the audience’s view by your left arm, pull 
down on one of the long ends until you have worked 
out a few inches of the rope. Once more hold the ropes 
vertically and one rope appears so much longer that 
you will get a good laugh. (It may be that the audience 
suspects you are in a predicament as you are having so 
much trouble getting both ropes the same length.) 
Have the boy cut off the extra length. As the boy is 
cutting off the extra length you can again pull on the 
short rope as before and again one rope appears longer 
than the other. While this is being cut off you can pull 
out the longer rope and so on until there is very little 
rope remaining. 

Now say ‘I will just tie these two ends together 
and stop all of this.’ Continue holding the two ends 
in your left hand. With the right hand gather up rope 
hanging on the right a few inches below your left hand 
and throw a half hitch over the two ends that are 
projecting from the top of your left hand, Figure 1 84. 
Work this half-hitch down over the ends to just below 
where the ropes are looped together. The rope will ap¬ 
pear as in Figure 185. For the first time you will be 


Ml 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

able to move the left hand away from the rope as the 
knot now hides the loop. Now hold the rope in front 
of you and once more one rope will appear longer than 
the other, owing to the fact that the half-hitch has taken 
up some of the rope. Again have boy cut off the extra 
length. You can give this to one of the boys or throw 
it out in the audience. 

If you do throw it out, after the scramble you can 
say ‘And anyone getting that piece of good luck rope 
will be sure to be married by the first of June.’ Now 
have the boys hold the ends of the rope, Figure 1 86. 
Say ‘now hold tightly.’ They will start to pull. Quickly 
say, ‘But do not pull. If this knot (pointing at knot) 
should come untied, you (pointing at boy on right) 
would be sitting back there (pointing behind him and 
looking in that direction) (as you stand there pointing, 
the boy will unconsciously look around) holding this 
piece of rope; (pointing at rope to right of knot) and 
you (pointing to boy on left) would be sitting over here 
(pointing behind him).’ Now trim off the ends of the 
knot, in reality the short piece of rope, until it is en¬ 
tirely cut away. Keep the knot covered with the left 
hand as you do the cutting. 

Give these pieces to the boy also and by now he 
should be fairly well loaded down with rope. ‘Now 
boys, these ropes are so short I am sure you would not 
want them, so i’ll use my magic power to join them 
together.’ Turn to the boy on your left and say that 
you want him to repeat ancient Egyptian words that 
will create the miracle. Tell him to say loudly and dis¬ 
tinctly, ‘Rubber buggy bumper.’ Boy will stutter on 
these and get them tangled, so tell him once more and 
more quickly, ‘Rubber buggy bumper.’ You will be 


142 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


surprised at the laughs you get on this and here is a 
word of warning: Practice these words yourself until 
you can say them quickly three times in succession. As 
boy repeats the magic words, your left hand straightens 
out the half-hitch. The boys now pull and the rope is 
restored to one piece. 

Most of the laughs depend on the trick itself. I do 
not condone too many gags that have no direct bearing 
on the trick but here is one that is very funny. Most 
of the boys now wear sweater vests that have a zipper 
up the front. When you get a boy that has one of these 
on walk over to him and zip it open and whisper to him 
to zip it up again. Turn away as he zips it up. Quickly 
turn back and zip it open again. Whisper to him to 
close it up again. This is good for three or four times, 
and gets many laughs. 

R. W. HULL’S STRETCHING ROPE 

1 his routine is most effective. The rope is cut in 
two uneven lengths and the short one stretched until 
it is the same length as the long one and then before it 
is hardly realized the two pieces of rope are seen to have 
joined themselves together again. 

Start the routine by telling the spectators you pro¬ 
pose to show them how a piece of rope can be stretched. 
Hand the rope to some one to look at and see that it 
has no appreciable “stretch.’’ Then take it back and 
hold it by the ends, Figure 1 87. The rope is held in the 
left hand and the right hand runs down to the bottom 
of the rope and stretches it taut. While these moves 
are being made, the patter runs as follows: “Over in 
India, sometimes they double the rope like this and find 
the center of it. Strange to say, in India, they always 


143 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



find the center somewhere near the middle. 1 hen the 
fakir displays the rope like this, Figure 1 88, and two 
large loops of equal size are thus formed. (You indicate 
these by the index finger of right hand being inserted 
in these loops at the bottom). Now if the rope were to 
be cut at this upper loop (small loop above thumb and 
lingers of left hand) it naturally would be cut in two 
equal lengths.” As these remarks are made, you reach 
for the scissors and with same in right hand and with 
points spread you take hold of the upper small loop 
with the scissors, and let go of the rope with the left 


144 














ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


hand, and it drops, held clipped between the points of 
the scissors and is shown in two equal sections. The 
rope is NOT cut at this point, but merely the suggestion 
is made, that IF the rope WERE cut. Placing the 
scissors aside and taking hold of the rope again as at 
first, Figure 187, the patter continues: “But if instead 
of taking hold of the rope in the exact center, it would 
be caught a little off center (the right hand takes hold 
of the rope this time at the point marked “X” in Figure 
187) and it is doubled exactly the same as before, then 
the two loops will again be made (Figure 189), but one 
of them will be much larger than the other (indicate 
with right hand pointing to the two lower loops) and 
now (reach for the scissors again) if we should cut the 
rope at this upper loop (above the left thumb and 
fingers) instead of two equal pieces of rope, you see the 
rope would be in two UNEVEN lengths, one being 
much longer than the other.” As these comments have 
been made the points of the scissors held in the right 
hand have again been inserted in the upper loop and the 
rope allowed to drop as before and it will appear that 
you are holding the rope at a point, that if you were to 
cut it (which you do NOT do yet) it would be in two 
unequal pieces. For misdirection you emphasize the 
large loops being equal the first time, and unequal the 
second time. 

All this has been mere “by play” and is excellent 
misdirection, for it has led the audience to the exact 
point where you want them. They have followed the 
explanation and would be wearied slightly were you to 
continue it further and they are just off guard now, 
and thus the “dirty work” is done and never detected. 

Lay the scissors aside and for the third time take 
the rope in position in left hand, Figure 1 87, and ap^ 


145 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


parently you again make the two loops as shown in 
Figure 1 89, but in reality this time it is just a little bit 
different. You do not reach down and catch the rope 
in the right hand OFF CENTER but you catch it exactly 
IN THE CENTER (as the first time) but this is under 
misdirection, for just before you do this, you say to the 
spectator standing beside you: “You take the scissors 
and cut the rope.” It is just as he reaches for the 
scissors and all eyes are on him that you form the rope 
into what looks like Figure 1 89 but in reality is what 
appears in Figure 1 92. The following will briefly de¬ 
scribe the exact moves. The third and fourth fingers 
of the left hand separate slightly and allow the rope to 
pass between them and the first and second fingers as 
shown in Figure 1 90. The rope is doubled up with the 
right hand as before, until it is nearly to the left hand 
when the right thumb and first two fingers of the right 
hand slip under the rope they are holding, and take hold 
of the other portion of the rope just where it emerges 
from between the second and third fingers of the left 
hand. The rope is carried right on up and placed in left 
hand and it looks exactly like Figure 189 to an on¬ 
looker, but in reality Figures 191 and 192 show what 
takes place and if the left thumb were removed, what 
looks like Figure 189 would then be seen to be like 
Figure 1 92. The thumb hides the loop. 

Needless to say, all that has been described is jusl 
one upward motion and is done in a second’s time, and 
while spectator is picking up scissors. When spectators 
again look at you, you are holding the rope and to all 
appearances you have merely made the formation 
shown in Figure 1 89, over again, but thanks to the mis¬ 
direction they do not realize what has really taken place. 


146 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Again you mention that you have created the large 
loop and the small loop (calling attention to the two 
loops below the hand) and that you desire that spectator 
cut through the small loop above left fingers so as to cut 
the rope in two uneven pieces. 

The moment he cuts, you allow the outer strand 
of rope to fall and also the inner strand, transferring to 
right hand, the two center strands of the rope, conceal¬ 
ing, of course, by finger and thumb, the fact that you 
have merely a short piece of rope and another long piece 
looped in it. 

But as the two ends drop down, you call attention 
to the fact that the rope has been cut so that one piece 
is almost double in length that of the other piece. Re¬ 
mark that over in India they always like to keep the rope 
in a circle, the magic circle, so you apparently proceed 
to tie the two upper ends (?) together. What you really 
do is to tie the small piece around the long piece, but to 
the spectators it looks as though you tied two ends to¬ 
gether for they are unaware of the real condition of the 
rope. You first slide this small piece of rope so that one 
end of it is longer than the other, and then you tie the 
long end right around the short end, exactly as shown 
in Figure 1 93. This is a very unique knot, and leaves 
much shorter ends (a distinct advantage later) than an}' 
other way of tying a short piece of rope around a long 
piece. As you tie this small piece around the long piece, 
make a sliding motion toward the short end of the long 
piece of rope. This you can easily do and it will make 
it appear that one end of the rope is even shorter and 
the other longer. Drop this fake knot and call attention 
to the fact that the rope has been cut so that one piece 
is nearly double that of the other in length. Gather up 


147 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

the other two ends and tie them together by what was 
described in Chapter One as the Vanishing Square 
Knot. When you have done this, the rope is now in 
a circle with the sliding piece on the side near the 
bottom. 

The rope is now held in the left hand, just below 
the Vanishing Knot, and the right hand slides down the 
short piece (?) of rope two or three times, pretending 
to stretch the rope. Hold securely at the top so that all 
may be sure the rope is not slipping there. When the 
bottom part of the hand reaches the fake knot it slides 
it down an inch or so, and then as the hand (right one) 
is turned over a little to allow the knot to pass into the 
hand, and when the finger tips come again to the knot, 
they slide it another inch or so. This is repeated two 
or three times, by starting again at the top of the rope 
and sliding down it. To all appearances the rope is 
actually stretching longer and longer before the very 
eyes of the spectators. The illusion is perfect. Finally, 
when the knot is clear to the bottom, you say: “There 
you are! I have stretched the short piece of rope until 
it is exactly the same length as the long one!” 

The rope is shown with both pieces apparently the 
same length. You say: “Let me prove it to you—I will 
untie this first knot.” (Merely blow on the upper van¬ 
ishing knot, sliding the loose end out, and it is gone). 
Take both ends and hold up and again move the sliding 
knot a little so that it will occupy the exact center of the 
rope. “More than that, I will untie the other knot and 
place the strips side by side that you may see that I have 
really stretched the short piece of rope, but just one 
moment before I do that. Over in India they wrap the 
rope around the hand like this (start wrapping the rope 


148 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


around the left hand with the right one) and leaving the 
knot in the center of the hand, the remainder of the rope 
is wound around the hand.” You do all this except that 
you do not leave the knot in the left hand. It is slid off 
with the right hand, and thanks to the short ends of the 
lake knot, due to the special manner in which it was 
tied, you easily palm it in right hand and spectators 
think it is in the center of the rope on the inside of the 
left hand. 

Now you continue the patter as follows: ‘‘You see, 
over in India, the performer always carries a little goofer 
powder in his pocket (here you reach in a pocket with 
the right hand, apparently to get some goofer powder, 
but in reality to leave the small knot) and would you 
believe it, you must have a hole in your pocket or you 
can’t carry goofer powder. Here it is, a very small 
portion, absolutely invisible to the naked eye (act as 
if you are displaying some between the thumb and 
fingers of the right hand), and now I sprinkle a little of 
it on the rope, and whether or not you believe it, it 
really performs wonders, for now it is unnecessary to 
untie the rope—see (you exclaim), as you gradually 
allow the rope to uncoil from the left hand, the goofer 
powder causes the knot to literally melt away, and here 
is the rope—fully restored again, and doubly strong!” 
The last part of the trick has been self-explanatory. 

S. H. SHARPE’S A ROPE REPAIRED 

A rope is borrowed, cut and, by the performer’s 
powers, completely restored. The merit of the experi¬ 
ment rests upon the fact that there is no preparation of 
any kind. 


149 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


When the rope is handed to the performer he re¬ 
gards it seriously and then, whatever may be its length, 
says, “It is much too long for the experiment. A piece 
about half as long would be about right. Do you mind 
if 1 cut it and use but half?” No objection being made 
to this question, the performer doubles the rope in the 
center and snips it in two. He then takes one of the 
short pieces, doubles it in the center and cuts through 
the loop thus, apparently, made. This done, he cuts 
away the ends, commands a magic wonder to take place, 
and shows that a restoration has been effected. 

The purpose of cutting the long rope in two pieces 
is to enable the performer to obtain an extra loop to 
match the rope in use. This is accomplished as follows: 
Double the rope and grip the doubled portion between 
the thumb and the base of the forefinger of the left 
hand. Now, instead of cutting through the loop, as the 
audience believes he does, he cuts the loop completely 
off as shown by the dotted line marked A in Figure 


194. 



194 


The loop thus obtained is kept thumb palmed in 
the left hand until one of the short pieces is doubled 
over. Then it is the false loop that is brought into view 
and cut. Finally the extra portion is snipped away and 
the rope is shown to be restored. 


150 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


JOHN GOODRUM’S SLEIGHT OF HAND METHOD 

I his is a good method to use as an encore after 
your regular rope trick. 

The trick lies in the way the rope is coiled. First 
make about three or four loops around your left hand, 
until about half of the rope is coiled, then start to make 
another loop. As the right hand comes over, grasp loop 
A, Figure 195, which was the first loop that was 



formed, and pull it through the other loops as shown in 
Figure 196. Make one more loop so that all can see 
that it is the actual center of the rope, and place it with 
loop A. 

As you turn to the left, to pick up the scissors, you 
let this last loop drop. Openly cut loop A. 

What you have actually done is to cut a small piece 
off the end of the rope. This piece, about eight inches 
long, runs through the first three or four loops formed. 
Grasp the middle of this small piece and the third loop 
(the loop next to loop A in Figure 1 96) and let the ends 


151 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


of the rope drop. The appearance is now as in Figure 

197. 

Bring all four ends together in the hand (left one) 
and grip one end of short piece and one end of long 
piece, between the thumb and first finger of the right 
hand. Let the other real end drop and the rope will ap¬ 
pear restored. 


GRAHAM ADAMS’ CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 

EFFECT: The rope is doubled and a spectator 
cuts through the rope with a pair of scissors. He ties 
the ends with a double knot. The performer shows this 
to the audience, saying, “This is just how any ordinary 
civilized person would join a cut rope.’’ Wrapping the 
rope around his left hand, he continues, “This is how 
the Hindu mystic would do it. You all saw that the 
rope was cut in two equal lengths and joined with a 
knot, leaving two ends separate, that is, the real center 
of the rope, and here it is neatly soldered together.’’ The 
loop of rope is stretched out between the hands and re¬ 
vealed to be completely restored. 

The assistant again cuts the rope. Some pieces are 
cut from the ends of the rope and tossed to the audience 
for examination. Again the rope is mended as before. 

A third time the assistant cuts the rope and more 
pieces given to the audience. This time the spectator 
knots the ends together. This being done he is asked 
to choose one of the knots. The rope is cut through at 
this point and the knot thrown out for examination. A 
mystic pass repairs the rope which is also given for 
examination. 


152 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


SECRET: There is nothing much to tell as far as 
secrets are concerned. The whole thing is brought 
about by showing the audience the position of the cuts 
in the rope in relation to the knot, which in the first 
instance is in the middle of the rope. 

The first cut is a false one and is the same method 
as described earlier in this chapter under the title of R. 
W. Hull’s Stretching Rope. When the knot is tied, 
using the ends of the short piece, it is capable of being 
moved along the rope to whatever position you desire. 

When the performer says, “This is how the Hindu 
mystic would do it,” the real ends of the rope are 
placed in the curled first and second fingers of the left 
hand where they are held firmly with the assistance of 
the thumb. The knot is taken in the right hand and the 
hands held as far apart as the rope will allow. The 
crooked third and fourth fingers of the right hand grip 
the sliding knot and, as the rope is wrapped around the 
left hand, the rope is pulled through the knot for about 
eighteen inches. Hold the left hand out to the audi¬ 
ence, still gripping the joint in the first and second 
fingers and thumb of the left hand and shake the rest 
of the rope free. The rope hangs as a loop from the 
left hand and appears restored as you take the bottom 
of the loop in the right hand and hold the hands wide 
apart. The fact that the knot is in a new place causes 
your audience to look in the wrong place for where the 
rope was originally cut. 

The right hand takes a new hold on the rope about 
four inches from the left hand and the spectator again 
cuts the rope, between your hands. Hold the ends wide 
apart, let go with the right hand and let that end of the 
rope hang. Take hold of the rope with the right hand 


153 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


a couple of inches or so below the left. Have the 
spectator again cut the rope between your hands. 

This leaves you with the rope in the right hand and 
two small pieces in the left. Throw these for examina¬ 
tion. 

The audience and the spectator have no time to 
realize that it would take three cuts to get the two pieces 
and that only two cuts have been made. 

Take the rope by the ends, show the position of the 
cut in relation to the knot and join it again. This time, 
instead of pulling the rope through the knot, retain a 
grip on the knot with your right hand and pull the knot 
along the rope for about fifteen inches while wrapping 
the rope around the left hand. Show the rope restored, 
as before, and have it cut again, as before. 

This time you have spectator tie the ends. Give 
him his choice of either knot. It is better that he select 
the one he has just tied but it matters little. In any case 
the genuine knot is given to him and he slips his arm 
through the circle of rope. Cut off the fake knot and 
toss it to the audience. The rope is allowed to fall and 
hang over the spectator’s arm where he has perfect free¬ 
dom to examine it and later give to the audience. 


FERNAND VERHEYDEN’S METHOD 

About nine feet of soft rope, that does not go into 
kinks when it is being manipulated, is required. 

The rope is passed for examination. On taking it 
back, it is held in the left hand, Figure 1 98. The right 
hand is placed in the bottom of the loop at point C and 
raises it; the rope should rest on the back of the hand 


154 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




A X e> 



202 


and the fingers should be free; the back of the hand 
faces the audience, Figure 1 99. The right hand carries 
the loop towards the left hand and when the right hand 
is hidden by the left the thumb and first finger of the 
right hand catch hold of the rope at point X; at the 


155 
































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

same time the fingers of the right hand are lowered so 
that loop C slides off the hand and is held in the left 
hand Y in Figure 200. The loop formed by taking hold 
of the end of the rope at X is placed between A and B, 
Figure 201. These movements must be made without 
any pause between them. If the reader has followed the 
directions with a rope in his hands he will see that the 
rope is now in the position of Figure 201 as the audi¬ 
ence sees it. Figure 202 gives the correct position of all 
parts of the rope in the hand. 

The right hand is now placed in the two hanging 
loops at K and L in such a manner that the ends of the 
loops, E and D, rest on the back of the hand. The right 
hand carries the loops up to the left hand, and, when the 
right hand is hidden by the left, the thumb and first 
finger catch hold of the parts L and M together at the 
points V and Z, and exactly the same movement is 
made; the loops E and D slide off the back of the right 
hand and the loops V and Z are brought up beside B, 
Figure 204. All these movements must be made with- 


A X & 



207 


156 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


out any pause between them. The loops X, V and Z 
are then cut and you have eight ends (Figure 205) and 
apparently the rope has been cut in four pieces. 

As further convincing proof that the rope is really 
cut, you tell them you will cut a small piece from each 
of the eight ends. You really cut the rope at F and 
squeeze the next piece G between the scissors. Figures 
206 and 207. To the audience you appear to have cut 
off two ends. The other ends are cut in the same way 
and then you have no “little piece’’ to get rid of at the 
end of the trick. All the performer has to do is to throw 
the rope into the air and the audience sees it perfectly re¬ 
stored. 

HARLAN TARBELL’S “MANY-CUT” ROPE 
MYSTERY 

EFFECT: You pick up an unprepared piece of rope 
and fold it over a number of times. Then you cut off a 
bunch of the rope wholesale, leaving a number of ends. 
Again and again you cut. Yet in a moment you throw 
the rope into the air and it is fully restored. 

This method allows of speed, considerable cutting, 
and a brilliant finish. Then, too, no assistants from the 
audience are necessary. 

SECRET: Display a piece of soft rope about six 
feet in length. Bring the two ends together and hold in 
left hand, Figure 208. Grasp looped end of rope with 
right hand and hold, Figure 209. Give rope a slight jerk, 
calling attention to the strength of the rope. As you do, 
allow body to turn slightly to the left and left hand goes 
out of sight behind upper left leg for a moment, Figure 
210. Note carefully the position of rope in left hand, 


157 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



15a 





















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Figures 210 and 211. Quickly open left fingers, allow¬ 
ing the rope to be held doubled over, Figure 21 2. Now 
quickly bring the left hand up into the position in draw¬ 
ing, Figure 213. The back of hand should be towards 
audience. This brings the rope looped once in left hand 
and coming down over the fingers, Figure 214. Open 
fingers enough to allow the rope on fingers to come 
into palm of hand and be covered with fingers, Figure 
213. This gives you a double loop of rope concealed in 
the left hand that the audience is not aware of. Figure 
216 shows the type of double loop. 

In Figure 217 we have a slightly different method 
of gaining indetectably the double loop in the left hand. 
The rope is first held as in Figure 209. Then the hands 
go to the position shown in Figure 217 which brings 
the rope into position as in Figure 211. Fingers are 
opened to get rope inside closed hand. Then when 
hands are brought into the position, Figure 213, the 
other loop is made as already described. Give the rope 
a couple of jerks with the right hand after double loop 
is concealed in left hand, Figure 21 5. To audience you 
appear to hold rope as in Figure 208. 

Keep back of left hand toward audience. With right 
thumb and first fingers grasp loop at point A and bring 
it up into left hand, Figure 218, allowing A to stick 
out above hand just a little. Now pick up loop C 
with right thumb and first finger, Figure 21 9. Bring it 
up into hand, Figure 220. The right thumb holds C 
loop in place while the index finger is inserted into loop 
B. It is now easy to raise loop B up above left hand, 
Figure 221, leaving loop C in hand. The left hand 
closes around the rope, Figure 222. The effect to the 
audience to date is that the rope has merely been folded. 


159 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


First, loop A was brought up, then loop C, and to them, 
loop B is apparently loop C. Figure 223 is a diagram to 
show the various folds of the rope at this stage. Pick 
up scissors and cut through loop B as well as the two 
ends, Figure 224. Keep cutting, Figure 225, until the 
whole upper loop has been removed. Figure 226 shows 
the various cuts that may be used until you get to point 
D. Audience thinks you have cut rope into many pieces, 
when in reality you have only cut a bit off the two ends. 
Give the rope in left hand another fold and toss it into 
the air. Then catch it as it comes down, spread it out, 
pull upon it to show it restored into one piece and throw 
it out to the audience for examination. 

The “Many-Cut” Rope Mystery is easy to perform, 
but, like other good tricks, requires a certain amount of 
practice to perfect. 


ZENITH ROPE RESTORATION (METHOD TWO) 

(Page Wright and William Larsen) 

Apparently the rope is cut into quarters, and the 
ends trimmed, after which the rope is restored to a sin¬ 
gle length and may be examined. 



160 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


In using this in a program, the magician may bring 
forward the rope in a length as bought and have a por¬ 
tion cut off by anyone for his use. 

Take the rope and calling attention to the fact that 
it is ordinary begin winding it about the fingers of the 
right hand, Figure 227. It is wound between the first 
and second joints of the fingers. The first three loops 
are made about all four fingers, but thereafter the rope 
is wound only around the first three fingers, Figure 
228. This is apparently merely to show the rope. Now 
the rope is unwound, but only the portion about the 
first three fingers is pulled free, three loops still remain 
about the fingers. At the same time turn right side to 
audience, holding the right hand so the back of it only is 
visible, the fingers being doubled out of sight, so that 
the fact that a portion of the rope remains about them 
is unknown. Coil the rope into three coils, holding 
them in the right hand, and calling attention to what 
you are doing. Now comes the deceptive movement. 
These coils are apparently shifted to the left hand. As 
the left hand takes them, the three small coils about the 
fingers are slid off. Left hand grips junction between 
large and small coils. Figure 229 shows the state of 
affairs as they appear to the audience. Actually the 
three loops which project from above the left hand are 
not portions of the three large coils, though they ap¬ 
pear to be, but the three small loops which were about 
the fingers. 

Call attention to the fact that if you cut through 
the three coils, you will have eight ends — that is, the 
rope will be divided into four portions, about equal. 
Cut through the coils, actually cutting the small loops 
above left hand. Explaining that you wish to even up 


161 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


the ends, cut at the ends until you have cut them com¬ 
pletely away, finally severing the strand of rope which 
joined large and small coils. This leaves you with a 
single length of rope, so that you may “restore” the rope 
with ease, and toss it out for examination. 

U. F. GRANT’S 1933 ROPE TRICK 

Everything is done in an open and clean cut man¬ 
ner, there are no false moves or sleights. And you per¬ 
form the impossible by cutting an unprepared rope right 
in the center and hold the two separate pieces wide 
apart, then tie them together, trim down the ends, and 
PRESTO — rope is fully restored and tossed out for 
examination. 

SECRET: Use a piece of soft rope about six feet 
long. Throw it out for examination, and while rope is 
in the audience, allow a spectator to cut it into two 
pieces, then throw the ropes back to you. 




Tie the ropes together, Figures 230 and 23 h That 
is, take hold of the ends of the upper rope and tie a 


162 









ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


single knot. Draw knot down to center of ropes. Tie 
another single knot on top of the first. In other words 
you have tied the two ropes together near the center 
with a square knot. 

Grasp the two ropes on the left side in one hand and 
the two on the other side in the other hand and pull on 
knot, Figure 232. 



Work this in a quick snappy manner and it will not 
be noticed that you are really picking up the wrong 
ends. By doing this, you are getting a separate rope at 
each side of the knot. 

State that you will cut the ropes again to be sure 



they are really severed. Cut them as in Figure 233. 
You apparently have two lengths of rope left, tied to¬ 
gether at the top, instead you have one length with a 
small extra piece tied around it at the center. 


163 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Take the two ends of the ropes (?) and pull them 
out straight. Say that you will endeavor to restore the 
ropes. All that remains is to coil the rope around the 
left hand. The right hand, as it does the coiling, slides 
the little extra piece or fake knot along the rope and off 
the end, keeping it palmed. The left hand tosses the 
long rope into the air and catches it as it falls to reveal 
it fully restored and it may be tossed out for examina¬ 
tion. 

Instead of sliding the little extra knot off the end 
of the rope and palming it, you may cut away the extra 
piece as several do when working the restored turban. 
Personally, we prefer the first method. 

We also suggest that this trick be worked in a 
short, snappy manner. As soon as the two ropes are 
thrown back to you, tie them, trim off the ends, coil 
around the hand, throw them in the air, display them 
restored as they fall and toss to the audience. 

CARL BREMA’S KNOTTED ROPE 

A rope is cut at the center and the cut ends are 
tied. Then the two long ends are tied. This makes 
two ropes and two knots. 

Seizing one knot, the performer runs his hand 
along the rope; both knots disappear leaving a single 
rope. 

The first part of the trick is the same as the “Im¬ 
promptu String Restoration” explained in Chapter Four 
and illustrated in Figures 1 36 to 147 inclusive. The 
result is actually a single rope with a small piece knotted 
to the center. 


164 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The actual ends of the rope are tied with the “Van¬ 
ishing Square Knot” explained in Chapter One and il¬ 
lustrated in Figures 1 7 and 1 8. 

The rope is held by the left hand, near the center. 
The right hand covers the short bit of knotted rope and 
slides it to the end. The square knot (?), with which 
the genuine ends are tied, dissolves and you carry away 
the tiny bit of knotted rope palmed in the right hand. 


U. F. GRANT’S SLEIGHT-OF-HAND ROPE TRICK 

EFFECT: A length of soft rope about five feet 
long is used. This can be passed for examination be¬ 
fore and after the trick. The ends of the rope are tied 
together. The performer states that the rope can be 
cut and restored in any section of the loop. He cuts the 
rope three or four inches from the knot and restores it. 
He again cuts it, through the center this time, and again 
restores it. Both ends are cut from the rope and passed 
for examination along with the remaining part of the 
rope. 

SECRET: Both ends are held together in the one 
hand, Figure 234. 



165 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




A loop is formed and the ends A and B are appar¬ 
ently pushed through this loop BUT end A only goes 
through, Figure 235. 

Continue pulling the knot taut while at the same 
time pulling end B so that it is the same length as A, 
Figure 236. 

The rope is cut three or four inches from the knot 
with scissors. If the cut is made as shown by the en¬ 
larged view of the knot, a fake, A, will be made that 
can be slid back and forth on B, Figure 237. 

The B end hanging is now brought up and held 
under the thumb. At the same time the sliding knot A 
is pulled down to the center of the loop. This is then 


166 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


brought up and held in the same hand with ends B-B, 
Figures 238, 239 and 240. 


/ 




241 


24Z 


Ends are released and the cut has apparently been 
restored, Figure 241. 

Ends B are still retained under the thumb. The 
scissors are taken and the rope apparently cut in the 
center. What really happens, one end of B is dropped 
as you apparently cut. The rope now appears to be in 
about two equal lengths. See Figures 242 and 243. 

Untie the knot A which brings the ends as illus 
trated in Figure 244. 


167 

















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




The four ends are brought together. Ends A and 
B are held under the thumb in one hand. The opposite 
end of B in the other hand, Figure 245. 

The actual center of the rope is dropped and the 
hands spread apart, Figures 246 and 247. 

The two ends are brought together and pieces are 
cut from each end and passed for examination. The end 
B is actually cut while the A end is simply dropped, ap 
parently being cut also. The balance of the rope is also 
passed for examination, Figures 248 and 249. 


168 
























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



HEISEY’S HINDU ROPE TRICK 

There are two ways of starting this trick. If you 
have had a few seconds to prepare, you will not need 
to perform these preliminary moves. 

Taking the rope you say, “Let me see if this rope is 
suitable for the purpose. I will test it by tying a few 
knots.” You take the rope, cross the ends and proceed 
to tie the ends together. But instead of tying the crossed 
ends in the usual square knot, you simply tie one end of 
the rope around the other end of the rope, Figure 250. 


169 













ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



Pull the knot tight and it will look the same as any 
other knot. In fact, most inexperienced persons when 
tying the two ends together generally tie this knot, a 
sort of slip knot, anyway. 

Say, “Yes, I believe this rope will probably do. 
Let me have the shears and I will trim this knot off.’ 
Put the shears just under the knot at the left side, Fig¬ 
ure 250, taking care that you cut the end that is tied in 
a knot — and not the other straight end that simply 
runs through the knot. It is now necessary for you to 
make one more cut to remove the knot. So you bring 
the shears up as if to cut the knot off right under the 
knot at the right side but what you really do is cut 
the short end D, quite close to the knot. As this is done 
under cover of your left hand holding the rope, which 
shields the actual action from the eyes of your spec¬ 
tators, no one will be the wiser. 


170 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Drop the cut-off end, which everyone thinks is the 
knot removed, in your right coat pocket along with the 
shears. 

This leaves you with a straight piece of rope with 
a small piece knotted around one end but concealed in 
the left hand as in Figure 251. This knot will slide up 
and down the rope. 

Turn toward the right side and place the rope in 
your right hand, Figure 252. The secret knot is con¬ 
cealed behind the fingers of the right hand, Figure 253. 
Take hold of end E with the left hand, Figure 252, and 
draw it slowly through the fingers of the right hand, 
Figure 253, showing both hands empty, palms toward 
the audience, saying, “The East Indian magicians use 
just one long piece of solid rope like this, and nothing 
else, just as you see here.” The secret knot slides easily 




171 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

along the rope and remains concealed at the back of the 
hand. Stop when you get about five inches from the 
end, and bringing the left hand up and in front of the 
right, Figure 254, take both ends in your left hand. As 
you turned toward right side, the left hand covers or 
conceals the action of taking the rope in left hand so 
that no one can see the secret knot as it comes from be¬ 
hind the right hand. 

Stepping toward one of the spectators, hold the 
rope ends toward him as in Figure 255 and ask him to 
“Cross the ends and tie them together, please.” Be 
sure he crosses the ends when tying so that the knot he 
makes will look like your secret sliding knot. 

Take the rope and “test” it by grasping the rope at 
either side of the knot and jerking it a bit. Quietly slide 
the little secret knot up against the main knot as you 
do so. Figure 256. Swing the rope around on the 
finger and no one can tell there is more than one knot 
as it all looks like one knot. Say, “The Hindu thus 
creates a Magic Circle and throwing it down on the 
ground (throw the rope down on the floor and step in¬ 
side the circle, Figure 257) he steps within and pro¬ 
nounces the magic sentence “Hindju Galli-Galli, Galli, 
which means ‘This circle shall never be broken.’ ” This 
gives you an opportunity to show the rope plainly and 
your two hands empty in an off-hand manner, Figure 

257. 

Pick up the rope at the knot with both hands. Move 
the sliding knot down to the center of the rope under 
cover of testing the strength of the circle, Figure 260, 
saying, “Not only can it never be broken with the bare 
hands but even if severed with cold steel the circle will 
never remain separated for very long. First 1 must see 


172 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


if it is really a perfect Magic Circle. I will trim these 
unsightly ends off.” Saying this you bring both hands 
from the position shown in Figure 260 together as in 
Figure 259, so you have both real and sliding knots in 




the left hand. Reach into pocket with your right hand 
and take out the shears. Trim off the ends close to the 
real knot, so it will look just the same as the sliding knot 
which has no ends. Drop the sliding knot, allowing it 
to hang down, saying, “Now it looks a little neater” 
and everyone will take this knot to be the one you have 
just trimmed off. 

Naturally, they can think nothing else as they have 
seen the rope from the beginning when you showed it 
simply clipped between the fingers, palms empty, Figure 
253, on to the time when you showed it again, Figures 
256 and 257, all around with hands shown empty. No 
one can have any suspicion that there is any other knot, 
for they have seen the rope freely so many times. 


173 









ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Hold the rope as in Figure 258. Hand the shears 
to someone and ask him to “Cut the rope at about the 
center,” adding, “Where I am holding it, I would judge 
to be about the center. Just cut it on either side of my 
hand, and we will thus cut a piece right out of the circle. 
That will make it doubly hard.” 

Figure 258 shows the cutting position. The Fake 
Knot is indicated by “F. K.” in the drawing. It appears 
to be a real knot. The Genuine Knot is concealed by 
the hand holding the rope, as indicated by the letters 

“G. K” 

When cut, this leaves the real knot in your hand. 
This you may either pocket along with the shears, or 
dispose of as follows. Saying, “We will now totally 
destroy the pieces by making a little rope hash,” insert 
the point of the shears into the center of the knot which 
will open the knot, or simply clip right through the 
knot, snip the pieces still smaller and toss aside. This 
idea gets rid of the second knot neatly. 

Take the rope again, tie the freshly cut ends to¬ 
gether making a neat small knot closely resembling the 
Fake Knot. Again “test” the rope as in Figure 260. 
Bring both hands from this position to Figure 259 with 
both real and fake knots in the left hand. 

Take the shears and again “Trim off the waste 
ends,” Figure 259. This time, Figure 261, bring the 



174 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


shears up and concealed behind hand, just snip through 
the Fake Knot first so that it comes away from the rope 
center, and immediately cut off the ends of the last tied 
knot, allowing all the little pieces to be tossed aside to¬ 
gether. Thus one cannot be told from the other later 
on. Your feat is now practically finished. 

Hold the rope by the center, let the knotted ends 
fall as in Figure 258 — but this time the real knot hangs 
where the arrow points to the letters “F. K.” You may 
conclude by having someone hold the rope at either 
side of your hand, then pass your hand over where the 
other knot is supposed to be, open it to show the knot 
gone and the rope mysteriously joined. Or you may 
have someone untie the knot at the bottom of the cir¬ 
cle and have two parties hold the ends while you pass 
your hand mysteriously up and down the rope, causing 
the knot to dissolve and the rope to become whole 
again. 

Or finally, you may simply roll the rope into a ball 
between your hands, pronounce the phrase repeated 
earlier, toss the rope into the lap of a spectator, saying 
dramatically — “Behold, it is done, by the will of 
Allah.*’ 


175 



CHAPTER 6 

CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 
(Unprepared Rope) 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Chapter 6. CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 
(With Unprepared Rope) 

Although the rope itself is unprepared, the methods 
themselves differ from those described in the last chap¬ 
ter inasmuch as a certain amount of preparation is re¬ 
quired in each case. 

THE L. W. SIMPLICITY ROPE RESTORATION 

This has the advantage for stage use over many 
other methods of being perfectly natural and straight¬ 
forward, and very easy to follow on the part of the 
audience. 

The performer comes forward carrying a rope 
stretched between his hands, which are seen otherwise 
perfectly empty. Then the ends of the rope are brought 
together, and the performer grasps the center of it with 
his left hand. With the other hand he takes a pair of 
scissors and cuts the rope at the center, trimming off 
the ends. The rope is thrown into the air, and upon 
being caught is again stretched out between the hands, 
and shown to be restored. 

This feat resolves itself simply into the addition of 
an extra loop of rope, which is cut, but the moves uti¬ 
lized for this purpose are perhaps the most subtle yet 
suggested. The hands are shown clearly empty save 
for the rope. In spite of this the extra piece is in the 
hands from the beginning, being concealed by the very 
simple method of having it in full view. 

The usual type of soft twisted rope is employed. 
The rope proper is a couple of yards long, the extra 
piece is six inches long. 


179 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


At the start the rope appears to be held between 
the thumb and first finger of each hand, about six inches 
from either end. Actually the right hand holds the ex¬ 
treme end of the rope, and also one end of the extra 
piece, the thumb and finger hiding the join so that this 
extra piece appears to be part of the rope proper. Palms 
of the hands are toward the audience, so that it is clear 
that they are otherwise empty. 

Remarking: “We must locate the exact center of 
this rope!” the performer brings the ends together so 
that the rope hangs down in a loop. Figure 262. As 



the hands are thus brought together the extra piece is 
doubled into a loop, which is thumb palmed by the left 
hand. Figure 263. Both ends are then shifted to the 
right hand, being held evenly. The left hand forms into a 
fist about the rope; the right hand draws the rope 
through the left until the center is reached, and then 
drops the ends, the left hand grasping the rope by the 
center. The right thumb and forefinger are now 
plunged into the left hand, and apparently draw up the 
center of the rope into view. Actually it is the fake 


180 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


loop. This series of moves requires but a few seconds 
to perform, and is absolutely natural. 

With the aid of the right hand the position of the 
rope is now shifted until it is held between the tips of 
the first and second fingers of the left hand, and the ball 
of the left thumb. These form plenty of cover to con¬ 
ceal the join between real loop and extra piece, and 
enable the left hand to be casually turned palm toward 
the audience also. 

The right hand now gets a pair of scissors from the 
table or pocket. In bringing them up the hand should 
again be turned about, without apparent intention, so 
that it can be seen that there is nothing concealed. The 
extra loop is then cut, apparently dividing the rope in 
the middle. Calling attention to the fact that there are 
now four ends, the performer remarks that he will clip 
a piece from each. A small piece is cut from each of the 
real ends, but the fake piece is cut completely away. 
The cutting of the actual ends serves to misdirect atten¬ 
tion from the purpose of this maneuver. The rope is 
gathered up into the left hand. The scissors are laid 
down; the rope is thrown into the air and as it comes 
down the hands catch it by the ends and hold it stretched 
out between them, demonstrating the restoration. It 
is then tossed into the audience, as convincing proof of 
its genuineness. 

If the performer does not like the method of cutting 
away the short ends, he may easily palm them away in 
the right hand, and dispose of them via the pocket or 
table when he puts down the scissors. 

Since nothing is required save the rope and the scis¬ 
sors, the experiment may be performed practically im¬ 
promptu, but it is also useful for stage. 


181 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


L. W. TUG O’ WAR 

The performer picks up an eight-foot length of 
rope and, after showing it, puts it around his neck — 
letting the ends hang down in front of him. He then 
selects two boys from the audience. The boys are 
chosen for their brawn — “big boys with sound mus¬ 
cles, strong backs and belligerent natures.’’ 

Each boy is requested to grasp one end of the rope, 
which the performer has removed from around his neck. 
The performer retains a good hold on the center of the 
rope. The boys are requested to pull hard — HARD! 
“But wait,’’ says the performer. “First let us cut the rope 
in the center and then pull hard. This is the most 
unkind cut of all. Pull harder! When I count three, I 
will let go!’’ The boys, visioning a fall over backwards, 
will not pull so enthusiastically. The performer goads 
them on. At the count of three he releases the rope 
— which is found to be restored. 

We have merely suggested the fun that may be had 
with the two boys. The performer who wishes to work 
out the feat may insure to himself many a wave of 
hearty laughter over the antics of the boys. 

How is the rope restored? Well, again the per¬ 
former only cuts an extra loop. But where does he get 
the loop? Oh, that was tucked in his collar, rather be¬ 
tween the collar and the back of the neck. When the 
rope was removed from the neck, he merely carried the 
extra loop along with it. 

L. W. VINCULUM 

“Amiel has said, my friends, ‘In every union there 
is a mystery — a certain invisible bond that must not be 


182 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


disturbed.’ I shall prove the statement with a length of 
rope. I lay it across my hand, so, and ask you to cut it 
there. But, though you have cut the material substance 
of the rope, the invisible bond remains intact. See! 
Even now it is restored.” 

Use for this experiment a length of rope about five 
feet long. A three-inch length is also required. In the 
beginning the short piece rests alongside, in back, of the 
long piece. Pick up the ropes in the right hand, the 
hand completely covering the short piece. This piece 
is grasped at one end by the base of the thumb and at 
the other end between the third and fourth fingers, near 
the palm. This arrangement can be made while the left 
hand is taking the long piece of rope from the right. 

The long piece is then laid over the right hand, one 
end allowed to drape down between the thumb and 
forefinger; the other between the third and fourth fin¬ 
gers. The second and third fingers of the left hand are 
bent in toward the palm. These fingers pull the long 
piece of rope back a couple of inches toward the right 
wrist. The first and fourth fingers of the left hand cover 
the crotch at the base of the right thumb and the third 
and fourth fingers, respectively. Thus only the short piece 


A 



remains in view. The excuse for the position is the 
apparent pointing out to the spectator the place to cut. 
Actually only the short piece is destroyed. 


183 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Now the left hand grasps the long piece of rope 
and pulls it free from the right hand, through the fin¬ 
gers. The cut pieces remain and are pocketed while the 
rope is being shown to be fully restored. 

A reference to Figure 264 should help to make the 
position of the ropes and hand clear. In any event, if 
you will follow the description with ropes in hand, you 
will readily discern the theory of the effect and rapidly 
be able to put it into actual practice. 

In Figure 264, A is the short piece of rope and B is 
the actual center of the long piece. 

THE L. W. GLOVED DECEPTION 

Whether this one came to us after seeing Cardini 
we do not remember. But, the magician does wear 
gloves. 

We need a six-foot length of rope and a five-inch 
length. Put on a pair of leather gloves. Double the 
five-inch piece over to form a loop. Stick this loop up 
inside the left glove, between the glove and the left 
palm. Allow the two ends of the loop to project a 
little. 

Pick up the six-foot rope. Double it over and hold 
the loop thus formed between the thumb and fingers 
of the right hand. The left hand approaches the right, 
apparently to pull a little more of the rope into view. 
Actually the right hand pulls the extra loop free from 
the left glove. 

Cut the extra loop entirely away with the shears. 
After sufficient “presentation’’ show the rope to be 
restored. 


184 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


L. W. RESTORING THE ROPE 

This is the result of our experimenting with the 
various cut and restored methods to find one that would 
be particularly suitable to our entertainment; what we 
wanted was one simple, clean cut, easy to make ready 
and without false or unnecessary moves, always bear¬ 
ing in mind the fact that it was to be presented as part 
of a program under normal performing conditions. 

Since the effect is so simple, the patter is necessar¬ 
ily simple and rather brief: 

“Perhaps you have heard it said, if you believe a 
thing strongly enough it will come true. Do you be¬ 
lieve that? Because if you do, it must come true. I’ve 
had only fair success; I tried taking this rope in my 
hands and believing it was a million dollars, but I could 
never quite convince myself. Yet sometimes it will 
work. For example, here I have a piece of rope, as you 
can see. Do you believe that I can make that into two 
pieces of rope? I do and because 1 believe it, it will 
be so.” 

Taking a knife, the rope is cut in two, thereby ful¬ 
filling the performer’s word. 

“You see, I believed it and it was so. Do you be¬ 
lieve I can make those two pieces of rope into one? I 
do. All I need do is tie them together and 1 have one 
rope, though divided in the middle. Let us try some¬ 
thing harder. Do you believe that I can make this 
knotted rope into one piece of rope again — a single 
piece as long as it was in the first place? That is im¬ 
possible, since it has been cut in the center, but if you 
will believe it perhaps I can. Everyone believe very 
hard. I feel as though someone was doubting. No, 


185 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


now everyone believe it and you see, it has been 
done.” 

The restored rope is thrown out to the audience, a 
conclusive proof, even to those that did not examine it, 
that it must be ordinary. 

From the standpoint of method our problem was, 
not to find a new principle, but to find a way of work¬ 
ing that would eliminate all false and unnecessary 
moves. Consequently we have adopted a variation of 
the oldest and simplest cut and restored method of all. 

The secret lies in the knife. This is like a kitchen 
knife, with a rather long blade and a fairly long wooden 
handle. The handle is hollow, open at the end. In pre¬ 
paring it, it is best to completely remove the handle 
from the knife, and cut off a portion of the blade that 
is sunk into the handle, as the blade can be fastened 
rigidly to the handle without extending so far down 
into it, thus leaving n.jre space in the interior of the 
handle. A new handle can now be prepared and fitted 
onto the blade. The handle of an ordinary size kitchen 
type knife is four or five inches long. The hollow por¬ 
tion should be at least three inches deep, or rather of 
sufficient size to permit the insertion of a loop of rope 
three inches long. 

To prepare for performing, a piece of rope six 
inches long is cut off the end of the rope you are to 
use, which should be around six feet in length. The 
short piece is doubled and placed in the hollow handle 
of the knife, which is laid on the table, handle to the 
back. The rope used is ordinary sash cord. 

We will give the moves somewhat in detail, as it 
is only in their smoothness that the virtue of the feat 
lies. 


186 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The performer begins by picking up the rope and 
showing it, casually demonstrating at the same time 
that his hands are otherwise empty. The rope could be 
measured, but it is hardly worth the trouble; the per¬ 
former may, however, casually measure it along his 
body. Now the rope is doubled, and held by the center 
in the left fist. The obvious reason for this is to leave 
the right hand free to pick up the knife to cut the rope. 
Since the right hand hereafter holds the knife, it is nat¬ 
ural that the rope — particularly when it is apparently 
divided into two pieces should be held in the left hand 
throughout. The principle of cutting a false loop only 
fails to be perfectly convincing when the ends of the 
rope are held in a manner that would make it more nat¬ 
ural for the two pieces of rope to be held separate. With 
this false point eliminated, there is no reason for the 
audience to suspect the genuineness of the cut, par¬ 
ticularly as the handling is so clean. 

As the right hand reaches for the knife, the per¬ 
former stands to the left side of the table, with his left 
side toward the audience. Now as he takes the knife, 
he makes a half turn, placing his right side to the audi¬ 
ence. In making the half turn, the hands naturally 
come together for a second, and the left hand obtains 
the false loop from the handle, holding it projecting its 
full length from the left fist. The cutting is now done. 
This leaves four ends visible. Now, with the right hand 
still holding the knife as before, the ends projecting 
from the left fist are tied together in a knot or two. 
With pieces of the length we have described this is not 
unduly difficult; the left thumb helps. The left fist is 
held throughout with the front of hand toward audi¬ 
ence. The pieces having been knotted, the right fin¬ 
gers apparently push the knot down into the left fist. 


187 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Really the short knotted pieces are carried away by the 
right fingers — as the right still holds the knife nothing 
suspicious is visible. The left hand is turned over, back 
of hand to audience, and as this is done, and keeping 
the eyes on it, the right deposits the knife on the table, 
and incidentally disposes of the short piece of rope be¬ 
hind something. The feat is now done, but the per¬ 
former does not at once show this. Rather he advances 
slowly forward; if in a club, or if he has a run down, 
right down to the spectators and he throws out the ends 
of the rope for two people to catch. They are invited 
to slowly pull it out — and as they do so it is seen to be 
restored. If on a stage, the performer advances to the 
footlights, and catching one end of the rope in his right 
hand — with the very tips of the fingers — he slowly 
pulls it out, and it may be held up to show it is the same 
length as originally. 

This method is not restricted to stage or club use. 
in the home nothing could be more natural than that the 
magician leaving the room to get a rope with which to 
show an experiment should bring back a kitchen knife 
with which to cut it. Even better for the married ma¬ 
gician, his wife brings in rope and knife, gives him the 
rope and stands by holding the knife until the moment 
he wants it, in which case the feat may be worked very 
close. The knotting done, the magician, to dispose of 
the knife, drops it into his side coat pocket, handle 
down, leaving the blade sticking out, while he restores 
the rope. 

BERT DOUGLAS’ MAGIC SKIPPING ROPE 

Simplicity is the keynote of this version of the cut 
and restored rope trick. The effect is baffling to the au¬ 
dience and provides plenty of scope for comedy. 


188 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


EFFECT: The performer introduces an ordinary 
skipping rope and invites two members of the audience 
to come forward and assist in the experiment. The rope 
is thoroughly examined, then cut through the center, 
and the two pieces are tied together leaving a knot in 
the middle of the skipping rope. The rope is then held 
by the volunteer assistants, one holding each end, and 
at the command of the performer the knot in the cen¬ 
ter VISIBLY disappears. The rope is instantly tossed 
out for examination — it is completely restored. 

REQUIREMENTS AND PREPARATION: An 

ordinary skipping rope, and a piece of similar rope 
about seven inches long. A pair of ordinary scissors 
and a duplicate pair which has been prepared by hav¬ 
ing the handles spot welded together so that it is impos¬ 
sible to open them. Rope cement is also recommended 
although not absolutely essential. 

Take the short piece of rope, form it into a circle, 
and join the ends together with cement, or, if preferred, 
simply sew the ends together. The cement, of course, 
makes the cleanest and most perfect join. Place this 
loop in the left trouser pocket. The ordinary pair of 
scissors is placed in the upper vest pocket on the left 
side and the prepared scissors and skipping rope are 
placed in view on the performer’s table. 

PRESENTATION: Walk forward with the skip¬ 
ping rope and invite two spectators to come forward 
and assist in the experiment. Have your two volunteer 
assistants pull hard on the rope and thoroughly ex¬ 
amine same so that everyone will be convinced that the 
rope is quite ordinary and without preparation of any 
kind. 


189 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Next hand the skipping rope to one of your as¬ 
sistants and request him to cut it through the center, 
at the same time giving him the prepared scissors for 
this purpose. The vain attempts of your assistant is a 
riot of fun, and finally in apparent desperation you give 
the rope and scissors to the other gentleman, and his 
fruitless efforts to cut the rope will have the audience 
in an uproar. 

Meanwhile secure the loop from the trouser pocket 
and hold it concealed in the left hand. Take the scis¬ 
sors from your assistant and drop same in your left vest 
pocket at the same time drawing the ordinary scissors 
up into view so that they can readily be withdrawn from 
the pocket. The audience will of course be unaware 
that any exchange has been made. 

Take the rope from your assistant, grasping it at 
the center with the right hand, and immediately pass it 
directly into the left hand. Remove the scissors from 
the vest pocket with the right hand and proceed to ap¬ 
parently cut the rope through the center, in reality of 
course it is the small loop or circle protruding from the 
left hand that is cut and which the audience believe to 
be the actual center of the rope. 

The performer then twists the short piece of rope 
around the center of the skipping rope and exhibits the 
rope in this condition. Figure 266. One end of the 
short piece is then allowed to unwind, as shown in Fig¬ 
ure 267, but this is masked by the hands, and the fake 
knot is quickly tied in the following manner. The 
short piece and the center of the rope are gripped with 
the right hand, and slightly to the left of this the rope 
is twisted around the forefinger of the left hand, Figure 
268, and short piece and center of rope are pushed, en- 


1 90 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

tirely through this loop and it is drawn up tight to 
form the fake knot. Figure 269. 



This knot differs from any other that I am aware 
of inasmuch as it will instantly and visibly vanish with¬ 
out having to be covered and worked loose with the 
hands. It takes but a second to tie this knot and the 
audience imagines that the performer has merely tied 
the two halves of the rope together with a double knot. 

Performer exhibits the rope, then taking the scis¬ 
sors in his right hand he proceeds to trim the ends of 
the knot, actually the short piece of rope is trimmed off 
entirely leaving only the fake knot. Figure 270. 

Each of your assistants is then given an end of the 
rope to hold, but they must not be permitted to pull on 
the rope until instructed to do so. The performer then 


191 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

steps right back from the rope, the knot is clearly seen 
in the center, yet on commanding the assistants to 
pull hard on the rope the knot will visibly melt away. 
The performer immediately takes the rope and tosses 
it to the audience for inspection, or it may be presented 
to the Chairman, or President of the club, as a souvenir. 

SUGGESTION: The comedy business with the 
prepared scissors may be eliminated if desired and the 
straight cut and restored rope trick presented, but, apart 
from the fun created, the fact that both gentlemen freely 
handled the rope and were apparently given an oppor¬ 
tunity to cut same, makes a great impression on the au¬ 
dience, and the fact that the assistants really had no 
chance to cut the rope does not occur to them. 

CHALLENGE: If the reader is already featuring 
one of the many cut and restored rope tricks in his pro¬ 
gram I would recommend that an extra loop, Figure 
265, be carried in the pocket as a Safety First measure, 
then should he at any time be challenged to repeat his 
miracle rope trick he will be in a position to take the 
same rope back from the audience and repeat the cut 
and restored rope trick by introducing the foregoing 
method. 


RINGING THE BULL 

The magician requests the assistance of two gentle¬ 
men from the audience, they are first given a length of 
rope to examine, also a number of steel rings. When 
everything has been pronounced genuine the magician 
threads one ring onto the center of the rope, secures 
this with a knot, and then slides the remaining rings 
down over the doubled rope so that they are retained 
by the first ring and cannot be removed. The puzzle 


192 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

now is to remove the rings while an end of the rope is 
held by each assistant.. Both assistants admit the feat 
is impossible, but the performer soon solves the prob¬ 
lem by taking a scissors and cutting the rope through 
the center. This immediately releases the threaded ring 
thereby allowing the other rings to drop right off and 
scatter on the floor. The performer then completes the 
miracle by magically restoring the rope and immediately 
the rope and rings can be passed out for examination. 

HOW IT IS DONE: This is a novel adaptation of 
the ropes and rings and the cut and restored rope, some 
subtle moves are introduced and it forms an ideal item 
for the club performer. 

A length of rope about eight feet long is required, 
also seven or eight steel rings, small linking rings will 
answer the purpose admirably. Both rope and rings 
are genuine, but unknown to the audience one ring is 
prepared as follows: Take a short piece of rope and 
prepare the ends with rope cement, then form it into 
a loop around the ring by rolling the cemented ends to¬ 
gether. Figure 271. This prepared ring may be sus- 



193 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


pended under the coat on the left side, or it may be on 
the table concealed by a handkerchief. 

Briefly the working is as follows: Have two spec¬ 
tators come forward and assist in the experiment, one 
standing at your left and the other on your right. Give 
each a few of the steel rings to examine and when pro¬ 
nounced O. K. take the rings back and hand the rope 
for inspection. Meanwhile obtain the prepared ring 
from under the coat holding it with the other rings in 
the left hand, then place all the rings on the table with 
the exception of one (the prepared ring) which is kept 
in the left hand. If the prepared ring was originally 
concealed on the table then lay the bunch of rings down 
on the table and later pick up one, really the prepared 
ring. Care must be taken to keep the loop of rope con¬ 
cealed in the fingers. Now take back the rope and 
proceed to thread same through the steel ring, actually 
under cover of the left hand thread the rope through the 
loop. 

Ring and portion of the loop is allowed to hang 
over the left hand as you grasp ends of rope and quickly 
tie a knot, this knot being actually tied close up against 
the loop, the audience of course are not aware of the 
presence of the loop as same has been kept concealed 
behind the left hand. Figure 272 shows the state of 
affairs, as you see it, just before the knot is tied. The 
appearance to the audience is as Figure 273. 

The rope may now be quite freely shown with the 
ring apparently securely threaded and knotted thereon. 
Grasping the two ends of the rope the performer next 
slides all the rings down onto the threaded ring. 

Each assistant then takes one end of the rope and 
the puzzle is to remove the rings while the rope is thus 


194 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


held. Accordingly the performer takes the scissors and 
cuts the rope at the center (really the loop) when all 
the rings are released and fall to the floor. 

The rope now has a small portion of the short piece 
within the knot as in most cut and restored rope effects. 
Trim this short piece away entirely with the scissors. 

Knot is then dissolved in the usual manner and 
the rope is completely restored and together with the 
rings may be given out for thorough inspection. 

I cannot too strongly urge the reader to refer to The 
Tale of a Bull by Stanley Collins as this excellent patter 
scheme with minor alterations will be found ideal for 
this problem, and it is splendid for club work. 

R. M. JAMISON’S SEVERED ROPE 

A snappy little rope cutting item, quick and easy 
to do, and a fine introduction to further versions of this 
effect, using one rope. The moves are natural, well 
covered, and while not original or new, there is a dif¬ 
ferent twist to this routine, that puts it in the “new” 
class. 

The effect is that two lengths of rope, of about 
three feet in length each, are shown, doubled in the 
center and cut by the spectator, and later restored of 
course. 

Just a little previous preparation is required, and 
that is, to make a loop of the same rope, from a five 
inch piece. This makes a loop about an inch and a half 
in diameter. Either cement the ends, or use as I do, 
adhesive tape, smudged up to the shade of the rope. I 
make up these loops about a dozen at a time. 


195 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Some may prefer to hold the loop in the palm, as 
the two ropes are shown, but I prefer to have the loop 
already on the ropes, it being about eight inches from 
the rope ends, and in picking up the ropes, this loop 
is pushed well down into the crotch between first and 
second fingers, the loop except for the part which over¬ 
laps the ropes, this being covered by the thumb tip, 
hanging on the back of the hand, on the knuckles. 

With palm of hand to audience, thumb tip on 
loop junction, ropes are shown as two separate ropes, 
right hand pulling each to even up the ends. 



Figure 276 shows how the ropes are prepared. 
Figure 274 shows how the ropes appear to the audi¬ 
ence and Figure 275 discloses how the loop projects 
at the back of the hand. 

The right hand finger tips reach up to rope ends, 
projecting above the left hand, and pull them on up 
until the centers are reached. The ends are next re¬ 
leased, and right next reaches to left hand, looping one 
rope in the fake loop. Pulling fake loop from between 


196 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


left fingers, until junction of fake loop and rope is 
leached, this is now grasped by right finger tips, pull¬ 
ing a little more until loop is free. Then this end of 
fake loop and rope are grasped by left finger tips. Fig¬ 
ure 277. 

Now still holding the rope in this manner, bring 
hands down in front of you, and have a spectator cut 
the ropes in the three inch space between your finger 
tips. Several cuttings are better as less evidence is left 
to get rid of. Ropes are now shown in each hand, as 
two separate, and four ends each. Rope ends are now 
balled up in the hand and re-appear restored. My get¬ 
away of the cut fake loop ends is by having an Oriental 
looking salt shaker in the pocket. This shaker sup¬ 
posedly contains a restoring powder. The small pieces 
from the fake loop are left in the pocket when procur¬ 
ing the shaker. 

The reader has but to give this routine a tryout to 
realize just how nicely it works out, the open handed 
moves, the minimum of covering and above all, every 
move is a natural one. The fake loop on the back of 
the hand is so small that it is surprising at what wide 
angles this routine can be shown. 

BAFFLESO! 

Baffles Brush has seen so many rope tricks in the 
last two years that he decided it was up to him to add 
his name to the long list of perspiring inventors of 
village cut up fame. Here is one you will use. 

A coil of rope is picked up from the table and 
tossed out into a straight line. It is about eight feet 
long. 


197 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Next it is taken by the center and held by the 
thumb and palm of the left hand with two ends hang¬ 
ing down to the floor. Figure 278. 



One piece is grasped at the middle where it is 
brought up to the thumb and palm and held. Now the 
other piece is handled in the same manner leaving the 
two ends still hanging down and the rope formed into 
three loops at the top. Figure 279 and Figure 280. 
The rope is now passed to the right hand and a spec¬ 
tator allowed to cut through the three loops extending 
above the fist. Again the rope is placed in the left 
hand and a short piece snipped from each of the six 
ends just made. 

Either one of the ends hanging down is now held 
while the remainder of the rope is tossed out in a 
straight line. The rope is seen to be restored and may 
be passed out for examination if you desire or be gen¬ 
erous and give it away. 

METHOD: A small piece of rope about eight 
inches long is coiled into three loops and the ends sewn 
together. Thread is also used to tack the loops together 
so they will not come undone. If you have enough 


198 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

thread left, or use catgut, make a loop big enough to 
go over your left thumb so that the tri-coil will hang 
from there back of the left hand. In picking up the 
coiled piece of eight feet, you slip this over your left 
thumb. 

Toss the rope to let the large coil unwind and the 
right hand slips the rope between the first and second 
fingers of the left hand. It is pulled back to about half 
way and then the middle is clipped between th* left 
thumb and palm allowing the two ends to hang down 
about four feet on each side. 

You now take each half, one at a time, about two 
feet from the bottom end and bring it up under the left 
thumb so that three loops are held in the left hand and 
two loops and two ends hang down. 

By this time the left hand is pretty full and the 
left hand has closed some to hold the rope in position. 
Up to this time the performer has been standing with 
his right side more or less to the audience. He now 
makes a turn so that his left side is toward the audience 
and at the same time transfers the rope to his right 
hand. The loop back of the left hand is also taken. 
This is allowed to protrude above the fist and it is this 
fake that is now cut. 

If you can manipulate the scissors sufficiently 
well with the left hand, the rope need not be transferred 
back to the left hand to trim off the ends. During this 
trimming, the tri-coil fake is completely cut away. 

All that remains is to take one of the hanging ends 
and toss the rope out into a straight line and then to 
the audience and another MIRACLE has been per¬ 
formed. 


I 9^9 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


U. F. GRANT’S STAGE ROPE RESTORATION 

Here is a snappy method of presenting the cut and 
restored rope mystery. 

The rope is tossed to the audience for examination. 
The performer takes it back, loops the center up 
through his left fist, an assistant cuts it, one half of the 
rope is held in each hand, the ends are placed together, 
the rope shown restored, and again tossed to the audi¬ 
ence for examination. 

METHOD: A black fiber tube, about 2 Y 2 " long, 
is used. This tube is of a size to just slide nicely over 
the rope you will use. 



Tube is concealed in the left hand. On taking 
back the rope, one end of the rope is passed through 
the tube as you take it in the left hand. You grasp this 
end with the right hand and pull the rope through the 
left fist, and the tube, until you have the center of the 
rope at your fist. Drop the end you are holding in 
your right hand and allow the doubled center of the 
rope to project above the closed left hand. 

Your assistant steps forward with the scissors but 
only PRETENDS to cut the rope. As soon as the rope 
is apparently cut, you shove the loop back down in 
the fist to conceal the fact that the rope is uninjured. 

Now grasp the rope at one end of the fiber tube, 
about two or three inches from it, in the right hand 


200 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

thumb and forefinger. Do the same with the left hand. 
The fiber tube in front of your dark suit produces a 
black art effect and the rope seems to be in two sep¬ 
arate and distinct pieces. 

Again take the black tube in your closed left hand. 
It will appear that you have two ends of the rope con¬ 
cealed in your fist. Grasp either one of the hanging 
ends and draw the rope through your left fist, and out 
of the tube, and again toss for examination. 


SCOTTY LANG’S SUCKER ROPE TRICK 

A spectator takes a rope in his own hands, cuts 
it at the middle, two ends are tied in a knot, and then 
the rope is rolled into a ball. A touch with the magic 
wand to restore the rope proves successful. However, 
spectators notice that in your hurry to get a duplicate 
rope from your right coat pocket, you have left the 
original cut rope protruding from the pocket for two 
or three inches, apparently being drawn out of the 
pocket by mistake with a genuine rope which is sup¬ 
posed to be restored. 

With perfect acting and showmanship you have 
performed a miracle. But when your attention is 
drawn to the rope protruding from the pocket, yank it 
out and throw it on the floor in disgust. However, to 
cover it up, say, “Some magicians get away with stunts 
like that, and I am one of them; however, on this oc¬ 
casion I have been unfortunate. Nevertheless, ma¬ 
gicians can restore a rope by putting you off the scent. 
But, don’t forget, I cannot restore this rope any more 
than the best magician alive, yet if I can take your 
attention off this rope with what I say, and apparently 


201 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

restore the rope by getting another one unnoticed, well, 
more power to me!” 

Proceed to roll the rope up into the hand with one 
hand, telling the story about the Scotchman who was 
treating his wife to a dinner at a hotel, 1 mean a quick 
lunch counter, and the waitress was very much alarmed 
to see that the Scotch woman had not started to eat, 
and the Scotchman was nearly finished. “Is there any¬ 
thing wrong, lady?” inquired the waitress. ”No was 
the reply. “Then why are you not taking your dinner? 
‘‘Well, I won t be long. John's nearly finished. He has 
the teeth just now.” 

Meanwhile the audience will be trying to watch 
you exchange the rope which you roll up with your left 
hand into a ball, back of hand to audience, and leave the 
two ends hanging an inch or two so that they can al¬ 
ways be seen. 

Pull on one end and show restored, with palm of 
hands facing audience, and finish with restored rope 
held with the forefingers and thumbs at the ends. Ad¬ 
dress the audience with this statement: “While I took 
your attention off the rope for a second or two, I did 
the trick. And here is the cut rope up my sleeve.” 
Display it. 

REQUIREMENTS: Four pieces of fine cord, 
string, rope or shoe laces. Anything to be original. 
Four pieces all the same length as follows. 

1ST PIECE in right coat pocket, and in the small 
pocket of that pocket. (Most pockets have one; can be 
worked without, but preferred. Or, a piece of card¬ 
board in pocket to make a division.) A short piece is 
tied about the center to give it the appearance of two 
ropes tied together. 


202 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


2ND PIECE of rope in right hand corner of right 
coat pocket. A piece without a knot. 

3RD PIECE is up the left sleeve under the armband 
and within reach from the bottom of the sleeve. It may 
be held by a safety pin if desired. This piece of rope has 
a double knot in the center with the ends trimmed very 
close. It must resemble the rope that is supposed to be 
exchanged. 

4TH PIECE is the one cut in the middle by the 
spectator. 

WORKING: Rope No. 4 is cut, tied in a knot with 
ends from knot about two inches long, and rolled up in 
right hand in that condition until it can be held comfort¬ 
ably in the right hand. 

Left hand reaches for wand on table which is on 
your right. At the same time right hand changes rope 
No. 4 for rope No. 2, and, in bringing same from pocket, 
brings rope No. 1 with it, which is left protruding from 
the pocket. (Not too much to make it suspicious look¬ 
ing.) 

The next move is made in disgust. Pull rope No. 

1 from pocket and patter. 

Rope No. 1 is trimmed until short piece is cut away 
and falls to the floor. Use apparent strength as if to 
tighten a knot, but just give that impression. Rope No. 

1 is now drawn up by left hand only. Proceed until 
it is all in the hand except two ends about three or four 
inches long, meanwhile misdirecting audience after tell¬ 
ing what was going to take place. 

Show the rope restored and then pull rope No. 3 
from the sleeve, showing how a magician takes their at¬ 
tention away. 


203 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


THE L. W. LOST CHORD 

“I seek,” says the magician, ‘‘the Lost Chord. Per¬ 
haps it is somewhat hereabouts — AH! There it is. 
But look! The Lost Cord is cut in three pieces.” So 
saying, the performer picks up three pieces of rope, each 
about two feet long, from the table. Something must 
be done. The Lost Cord, the famous Lost Cord, can’t 
be left in such a condition. What would the people 
say? Especially the musicians? So he drops the three 
pieces into a plush bag which he has shown empty. A 
hat is also shown empty, and the magician commands 
the ropes to pass from the bag to the hat and be re¬ 
stored. 

He reaches into the hat and pulls out the ropes, but, 
though they have come together they are in no wise 
restored. They are merely knotted together in one six- 
foot length. He replaces the knotted pieces back into 
the hat. Immediately the hat is shown empty. He walks 
over to the bag, reaches therein and pulls out the rope 
—rather, three ropes, STILL KNOTTED. 

“Such nonsense. I might have known these ropes 
would not obey me if I let them out of my possession. 
Come, I’ll take a hand to them.” So saying, he passes his 
hand along the rope and the knots dissolve, leaving the 
rope fully restored. 

You will require for the effect the following: 

A large size plush changing bag. 

A Brunei White changing hat. 

Three two-foot lengths of rope. 

Three two-foot lengths of rope knotted together to 
form one length. 


204 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


A six-foot length of rope prepared as follows: Two feet 
from one end of the rope tie another piece of rope of 
the same kind around the center. Cut the ends of this 
knot short. Do the same two feet from the other end. 
Thus there are two fake knots on the long piece of rope. 
These knots should be loose enough so that they may 
be easily slipped off, but not so loose that they will fall 
off of their own weight. Figure 284. 



This six-foot length, so prepared, is placed in the 
changing bag and the handle twisted to conceal it. 

The three pieces which are knotted together are 
placed in the hat, under the fake bottom. 

The three separate pieces are in the beginning ly¬ 
ing behind some piece of apparatus on the table. 

Presentation: Place the three separate pieces in the 
changing bag, Figure 283, and command that they pass 
to the hat, restored. Reach in the hat and draw out the 
knotted pieces from under the fake. These, after being 
shown, are replaced, still knotted, in the hat. The hat 


205 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


is then shown empty. Pick up the changing bag, bring¬ 
ing the side bearing the long rope to the front, reach 
therein and remove the long piece. 

Pass the right hand along the rope and carry the 
fake knots with it. Thus is the rope apparently restored. 

WILL BREMA’S CONVINCING ROPE TRICK 

A length of rope approximately six feet long is cut 
and the ends tied. This is repeated. Audience sees rope 
in three pieces joined by two separate knots. Rope is 
restored to one piece. 

The advantage of this method is the fact that no 
special rope is necessary, there is no advance prepara¬ 
tion of the rope and it is a perfect trick to climax any 
other rope trick. At the same time, as an individual ef¬ 
fect it is 1 00 per cent effective from an audience point 
of view. 



First examine Figure 285 which shows the con¬ 
struction of the special Brema made fake. The open end 
faces toward audience when in use. TO HOLD, curl the 
fingers lightly around the fake, hook pointing to little 
finger. When hooking fake to the clothing, move 
thumb forward to hold fake at the open end. Draw sec¬ 
ond, third and fourth fingers away. 

Fake is hooked to body according to conditions un¬ 
der which you are performing. The regular position is 
on the pants or coat just beyond the coat pocket. For 


206 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

bad working conditions, fake is placed at same position 
under coat out of sight. 

With fake in position, face audience. Hold one end 
of rope in left hand as right hand moves along rope as 
in Figure 286. 



286 


Right hand turns in, bringing it up to position as 
in Figure 287. 

Carefully note the position of the three extended 
fingers of the left hand. With the rope resting on these 
fingers, the end of rope out of sight in the picture falls 
on the floor, Figure 287. The left thumb and first finger 
holding end of rope do not move as the three extended 
fingers curl around rope and pull it in towards palm. 
The right hand moves down in the direction of the body 
and the three fingers are straightened out so that two 


207 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



287 


288 

'208 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

portions of rope now rest on the open fingers of left 
hand. Figure 288. 

Right hand is moved away to secure scissors. Draw 
back first left hand finger so that this hand holds rope 
as in Figure 289. The foregoing moves take no more 
than three seconds to accomplish. 



289 


Rope is cut and the short piece tied around the 
rope proper. The end of rope nearest knob is dropped 
to the floor and the same procedure gone through with 
the opposite end. Rope is then held as in Figure 290. 
Knots do not show up prominently in the photo but 
their position in photo is less than one half inch from 
the elbow. Figure 290 also shows the position of the 
left hand getting ready to secure the fake. In actual 
working, the position of the body is right side more 
toward audience, as in Figure 292. 


209 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



290 



210 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The left hand is brought up as in Figure 291. Rope 
is placed over left hand momentarily to permit right 
hand to secure one end of rope. The balance of the rope 
is allowed to fall to the floor. The rope is then drawn 
through the left hand (through fake) and coiled as in 
Figure 291. 



292 


The knots are automatically left in the fake. As 
right hand raises coiled up rope, the left drops to hook 
fake to clothing. Figure 292. A continuous sweeping 
movement is all that is necessary to hook fake, the left 
hand not being long enough out of sight to arouse sus¬ 
picion. 

NOTE: Moves Fig. 286, 287, 288 and 289 are all 
blended into one continuous move. The rope should be 
handled lightly and a certain amount of swaying move¬ 
ment with the rope will make the moves all the easier. 


211 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


SECOND METHOD FINISH. Draw the rope 
through the hand as in Figure 291 but don t coil the 
rope. When the rope is pulled through the hand leav¬ 
ing the knots in the fake, retain fake in hand as you 
hold up rope stretched between both hands (hands 
about 18" apart), the ends of the rope hanging down, 
backs of both hands toward audience. Accidentally 
drop the rope (?). As you reach to pick it up, hook 
the fake on the body. 

Again hold the rope between both hands and then 
permit the audience to see that the hands hold only the 
rope. Fake is easily secured and dropped into pocket or 
put to one side. 

The cutting of the rope may be repeated as the 
fake has a capacity for more than two knots. The hole 
in fake is for magicians who prefer a “pull” fake to 
that of a hook. 

Fasten elastic through hole and opposite end to a 
safety pin. Engage pin on back of vest. Bring fake 
around the left side of body, allow elastic to run through 
slot of fake and engage hook in the vest near the lower 
pocket. Fake can be secured in the left hand in the 
action of looking for shears, etc. The rest should be ob¬ 
vious. 

THE ALADDIN ORIENTAL GIMMICK BY 
WINSTON FREER 

The gimmick is a small tube of thin white rubber, 
which is to be rolled onto the rope, over the joint to be 
spliced, in the manner described in the following direc¬ 
tions. It depends upon the principle of the old “Japa¬ 
nese Thumb Cuff” to securely fasten the rope ends to- 


212 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


gether by contracting tightly upon them as they are be¬ 
ing pulled upon. 




Figure 293 shows the gimmick as it appears on the 
rope, with the slight fray on the rope preventing it 
from rolling completely off the end. In Figure 294 is 
illustrated the manner in which the rubber forces the 
little frays on the ropes to fill in between the rope ends 
as the gimmick holds them together. Note also that the 
weave of the rope will show through the rubber, mak¬ 
ing it look like the rope itself. 

Preparation: The rope used is HARD WOVEN 
SASH CORD. Besides the rubber tubing, you will re¬ 
quire a dowel stick of a size to fit in the tubing, a pencil 
from which the eraser has been removed and a sharp 
knife. 

(Always keep the rubber tubing wrapped in black 
paper when not in use as light causes it to deteriorate 
if not so protected.) 

Thrust the stick for about an inch into the rubber 
tubing. Roll the tubing back on itself towards the same 
end of the stick by pressing directly on the end of the 
tube with the thumb and first two fingers of the right 
hand, while the stick passes between the first and sec¬ 
ond fingers. In actual use, the tubing is always rolled 


213 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


in just this manner, which is the easiest way to get the 
roll started. 

Continue to roll the rubber back and forth until it 
is stretched for about half an inch and is loose upon the 
stick. Now cut off Vs " from this stretched end. Roll 
this short piece upon the stick until it has stretched as 
much as it will. Roll it from the stick onto the pencil, 
and continue to roll and stretch it upon the pencil until 
the ends curl up as though starting to roll by them¬ 
selves The gimmick is now ready to roll onto a rope 
which you insert into the pencil cap. Allow it to unroll 
half way, and then cut the rope close up to the roll. 
Fray the rope a little to prevent the roll from unrolling. 

Be certain to keep your gimmick stretched until it 
is very soft, or it will not operate when your hands are 
nervous and moist. Keep your fingers as dry as possi¬ 
ble, and you should have no trouble. In an emergency, 
should the gimmick be hard to roll, you can always 
proceed with the trick as in the second part of Tarbell’s 
favorite method of performing the Rope Mystery, ex¬ 
plained in Chapter Seven, as the gimmick will have 
served its purpose in the first part of the trick. 

Method of Cutting and Restoring a Borrowed Rope 

In your pocket you have a 1 O'' piece of rope with 
a gimmick on one end and another 1 0" piece rolled up, 
ready to palm. 

As you have specified HARD WOVEN SASH 
CORD, the spectator’s MEASURED piece will match 
your sample. Compare it with your sample (really fas¬ 
tening them together) and give away the palmed piece. 
You can make this move very natural, with a little 
practice. 


214 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Their rope now has a 10" piece fastened on one 
end. Apparently tie the ends of the rope together. You 
really change the gimmick fastening so that it connects 
the two ends of their rope together and tie the 1 0" piece 
around their rope with a slip knot. Slide the knot to a 
point opposite the gimmick and you are ready to per¬ 
form the last part of the previously mentioned Tarbell 
Rope Mystery. 

TO CUT AND RESTORE THE ROPE IN THE 

CENTER: Borrow a rope and prepare as explained. 
The ends of the rope now appear to be the center and 
the center appears to be the ends. 

Secretly roll the gimmick from right to left so that 
the two ends are separated again, and immediately put 
these two ends, which audience believes to be the un¬ 
broken center of the rope, in the left hand. (Always 
roll the gimmick with a push of the three fingers to¬ 
ward the other hand.) 

Cut the rope end on which there is no gimmick 
about 2" from the end. Exchange the cut end for the 
gimmicked end in the left hand, leaving you in a posi¬ 
tion to roll the two ends back together again, steal away 
the short piece, and show the rope restored. 

The short piece of rope shows as you roll the ends, 
of the rope proper, together and leads the audience to 
think that nothing has happened yet. The ends to be 
fastened should always be cut off square at a hard place 
in the rope. 

K. W. LIDDLE’S PHENOMENAL ROPE TRICK 

Effect: A length of ordinary rope seven to ten feet 
in length is thoroughly examined by the audience. Two 


215 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


spectators hold the ends of the rope while it is being cut 
into THREE pieces. The performer holds two ends in 
his right hand and two in his left. The rope is then sen¬ 
sationally restored and is again passed for examination. 

Any thickness of cotton or flax rope can be used—- 
string, cord, or rope up to 1 inch in thickness. The more 
the cut ends fray—the better the effect. The rope is the 
same length at the conclusion of the trick as in the be¬ 
ginning. 

No preliminary tying of the ends together. No 
cement or fasteners used. The rope is absolutely gen¬ 
uine and unfaked. The ends of the rope are firmly held 
by the spectators throughout the trick. 

Apparatus And Preliminary Preparation. To pre¬ 
pare a gimmick, take a piece of rope twenty inches 
long, double it in the center and sew the two ends to¬ 
gether. Fix a piece of strong cord elastic twenty inches 
long to the doubled joint and sew the rope at this point 
also. 

Place this piece of rope in the right coat sleeve and 
attach with a safety pin to the back of the vest so that 
the end of the loop hangs concealed just within the 
right coat sleeve. 

Presentation: Introduce a large coil of rope and 
have a piece cut off about seven to ten feet in length. 
While this is being examined, get the loop of rope from 
the right sleeve with left fingers and it is retained with 
right fingers curled in toward palm. 

Keeping the back of hand to audience, form a loop 
in center of rope and give an end to spectator on either 
side. The loop made is a large one. 


216 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


In bringing the hands apart, preparatory to cutting, 
the extra loop is withdrawn completely from the right 
hand to the position indicated in Figure 295. 



The doubled rope is now cut (extra loop) appar¬ 
ently leaving it in three pieces. Hold the ends wide 
apart and show to the committee. The short ends in 
right hand are gradually worked into this hand with the 
left fingers. Hold the right hand about knee level and 
the back of the hand to the audience. Gradually release 
the grip on the extra piece in right hand, thus allowing 
it to be drawn by the elastic up through between the 
fingers and thumb and into the sleeve. This is a knock¬ 
out as you immediately open the right hand and show 
the restoration. 

Turn to the committeeman on your left and show 
him the restored portion. Under cover of this move¬ 
ment, slip the ends in left hand into left coat pocket or, 
as an alternative method, these ends may be trimmed 
with a scissors until they are cut away completely. The 
left hand is suddenly opened and the rope is whole 
again. 

Important Variation: We will imagine that the 
rope has been cut by the spectator on your left and that 
you are still holding same with all cut ends exposed. 


217 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Remark to the party who did the cutting, “Now, 
sir, I am going to ask you a very peculiar question. 
Are you quite sure you have cut the rope? Whatever 
the reply you continue, “Fearing that you are not quite 
sure, I will ask you to cut again. Cut off a piece for a 
souvenir. Right up close to my left thumb if you 
please.” 

With which you give your left hand a quick shake 
and exclaim, “No, not my thumb, please, just the rope. 
Thus as he cuts and you give your hand a shake, the 
short ends fall to the floor and with them you let go the 
small extra loop end that has been held under cover in 
your left hand. 

This enables you to get rid of this part without any 
suspicious moves whatever. It leaves you quite free to 
finish with as much dramatic effect as possible. 

L. W. CHASED 

We have called this item “Chased.” That is what 
the magician will be after he tries it. 

The local magician strolls down Main Street. He 
stops in front of the Trip Hammer Department Store 
to exchange pleasantries with the proprietor thereof. 
“Ah, it is a good morning. Yes indeed. Yes indeed. 
How is Mrs. Trip Hammer? Excellent. So glad. And 
how are all the little Trip Hammers? Well, well—glad 
to hear it. My, what a nice awning you have. Very 
pretty. Very pretty. Must be a lot of trouble to have an 
awning like that to put up. Yes indeed. But isn’t the 
awning rope too long. I’ve never seen such a long awn¬ 
ing rope. Here! Let me trim it off a bit. I know I cut a 
lot off. I did it purposely. What? You didn’t want me 


218 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


to? Well, why didn’t you tell me? I thought you would 
like to have it short like that. What? Now when you put 
the awning down the rope will be drawn away up and 
you won’t be able to reach it? Deuced, positively deuced 
luck! I never thought of that. Perhaps I can fix it. I will 
speak to the rope, ‘Rope! Pull yourself together.’ See! 
It’s all fixed. The rope is as good as new. Well, good 
day, Mr. Trip Hammer. Drop in and see us sometime. 

.Say! Do you think it was nice to throw that rake 

at me?" 

There are two kinds of awning rope commonly 
used. One is a narrow white braided variety. The other 
is also a white rope but it is made of two twisted strands. 
You may run down to the ten cent store and buy a hank 
of each variety. Or you may wait until it gets dark and 
then dash out and clip off a few six-inch specimens 
from the nearest awning ropes available. In any event, 
you will need some short lengths of awning rope. 

These are looped and added to the awning rope 
proper at the time of the ostensible cutting. Of course, 
it is the loop which is cut, not the rope itself. In talking 
with the victim, the performer has ample time to reach 
in his pocket and get the loop in position to add. 

If you like a little fun with your magic—try it! 


219 




































































































































CHAPTER 7 

CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 
(Prepared Rope) 
















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Chapter 7. CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 
(With Prepared Rope) 

L. W. MARKING THE CENTER 

We have used this idea in conjunction with the old 
figure eight rope trick. (See Chapter Five.) 

About four or five inches from one end of the rope 
tie a small piece of colored ribbon, trimming the ends 
of the knot well away. The ribbon, thus tied on the 
rope, is concealed by the hand in the course of handling 
the experiment. 

Now request a spectator to tie another piece of rib¬ 
bon, identical with the one which is being kept con¬ 
cealed, around the center of the rope. The ends of this 
knot are likewise cut away. The rope is then looped up 
in the usual fashion; the real center grasped in the hand 
and the end substituted for it. 

“You will note that we will cut the ribbon exactly 
in the center, which place on the rope you yourself 
marked with the ribbon.” The spectator cuts the rope 
near the end, the cut pieces are dropped, the ribbon car¬ 
ried away, and the rope eventually restored with THE 

RIBBON STILL MARKING THE CENTER. 

In passing, it may be worthy to note that the mark¬ 
ing of the center may just as well be done with an ordi¬ 
nary single knot which is tied in the rope. Or, the per¬ 
former could mark the center by tying a ring on the 
rope at that point. A switch of knots or rings, according 
to which idea is used, is fully as easy and practical as 
the ribbon method. 


223 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


R. W. HULL’S MARKED ROPE AND THE THUMB 
TACK 

The rope seems to be cut into three pieces and is 
restored and even the mark that a spectator placed in 
the center of the rope in the beginning is still there to 
identify it. No extra ropes are used—nothing but the 
one piece of rope and a thumb tack—one with a large 
red head is ideal, for all can see this. 

You will obtain best results by following the in¬ 
structions exactly in regard to the length of rope used 
etc. 

The rope should be 8 feet and 6 inches in length. 
Exactly 1 3 inches from one end, place a pencil mark 
(or mark with a fountain pen if you intend using a 
fountain pen to mark the rope with later). A straight 
mark on one side of the rope is nearly always what the 
spectator will make so you make this kind of a mark on 
the rope 1 3 inches from the end as explained. Addition¬ 
ally you insert the sharp point of a pencil a time or so 
into the rope right close to the mark—within an eighth 
of an inch or closer to it. This will leave a little per¬ 
foration and the black from the pencil will make it more 
noticeable. With a thumb tack available and a pair of 
scissors, you are ready to perform. 

Start the trick by showing the rope, and then tie 
the two ends together, using the “SQUARE KNOT” 
already illustrated in Figure 1 7 and then converting this 
“SQUARE KNOT” into a Slip Knot. Figure 18. Use 
just enough rope that the two ends beyond the knot will 
measure 2 inches. A little experimenting will show you 
just the way to tie this knot. Then the rope will appear 
as in Figure 296 and this illustrates the manner in which 


224 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




you hold the rope in the right hand. Be sure the secret 
mark and pencil dot are on the end of the rope that does 
the sliding. The exact center of the rope will be in the 
hand, and it is here that you have the spectator place 
the mark with the pencil or pen, and then you place 
the thumb tack at the exact place where the spectator 
marked it, and it will cover the mark. This will be in the 


225 






















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

center of the rope, and you emphasize this fact that you 
are placing the thumb tack in the CENTER so that all 
may follow it with their eyes and not lose sight of the 
CENTER In other words, you explain that if the rope 
be cut at the place where the thumb tack is inserted, 
there will be no doubt but what it is cut at the CEN¬ 
TER. This is of course to offset the theory that only the 
end of the rope is cut off. 

Now the left hand comes up and takes hold of the 
rope just 3 inches below the right index finger. The 
right hand lets go of the rope and the left hand holds it. 
The rope thus changes position a little and Figure 297 
(ignoring the hand holding rope on side for the mo¬ 
ment) will show position rope is held in, with thumb 
tack now a little ways down the side and the knot that 
was on the bottom a little up the side. Tell spectators 
to follow the thumb tack closely as you double the rope 
over into two loops, as shown in Figures 297, 298 and 
299. 

To make this double loop, the right hand comes 
down on the same side of the rope that the knot is on 
and takes hold of it about the center, or a little below 
as shown in Figure 297. Right hand turns over and also 
takes hold of the other side of the rope and as it does 
so, the left hand, carrying rope, drops to the bottom 
of the loop as shown in Figure 298 and thus the two 
loops are brought together as shown in Figure 299 and 
straightened up by the hold you will have on both the 
top and the bottom of same. Both sets of marks are 
illustrated in these drawings so you can follow the same 
exactly and thus be sure of getting this important move 
just right. Left hand now lets go of the bottom and 
points to the thumb tack which spectators have fol- 


226 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

lowed all the way through. Performer mentions that 
this thumb tack is at the exact center of the rope, and if 
the rope now be cut at this point, there is no question 
but what it will be cut in the center. 

Pull the thumb tack from the rope and the mark 
the spectator first placed on the rope is still there thus 
locating the center. Place the thumb tack on the table, 
and call attention of the assistant spectator to the scis¬ 
sors and tell him to cut the rope. 

Now the subtle part of the trick has been reached, 
and again it is under the misdirection occasioned by the 
spectator reaching for the scissors that the dirty work 
(if indeed it should be called that) is performed. Your 
right hand will be holding the rope exactly as shown in 
Figure 300. Note that the thumb and index finger hold 
the outer loop and the other loop (the one with the 
knot in it) is held back in the hand with the three 
fingers. The move to accomplish the whole sleight is to 
merely straighten out the second or middle finger 
(right) against the rope held by the index finger tip 
and the whole loop will turn over in a beautiful man¬ 
ner as shown in Figure 301. The left thumb is inserted 
in the center of the loop at the point marked with the 
“X” and the hand goes right to the bottom thus mak¬ 
ing what appears in Figure 302. To the spectators 
nothing has happened except you have taken hold of 
the rope to hold it taut while it is cut, but a most decep¬ 
tive sleight has been accomplished, and one of the pret¬ 
tiest sleights in the whole realm of rope magic. Ap¬ 
parently you have the same formation in Figure 302 
(note that the writer says APPARENTLY) but in re¬ 
ality, something quite different is the case, for concealed 
by the fingers of the left hand is a loop which has been 
most subtly and adroitly—-and we might add, instan- 


227 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


taneously made. The appearance of this loop is shown 
in Figure 303. 



And marvel of marvels—something else has hap¬ 
pened. The mark that the spectator placed on the rope 
has just as quickly vanished and the other mark near 
the end of the rope (and secretly made when prepar¬ 
ing the rope before the performance) is substituted in 
place of it, even occupying the same position the other 
one just occupied. 

All this is so subtle that the most critical observer 
can not follow it. The real mark the spectator placed on 
the rope is now hidden out of sight by the fingers of the 


228 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


left hand which take hold around the rope as it is held 
up for the spectator to cut. (This is explained later.) 

In Figures 303 and 304 you will notice the in¬ 
scription “Tack Mark.’’ This has reference to the spot 
where the thumb tack had been, but after it is pulled 
out, the mark made by the spectator is still under it, 
also there is a small perforation left in the rope where 
the thumb tack had been. This is the reason that at the 
beginning of this routine it was suggested that the point 
of the pencil be inserted in the rope at, or very close 
to, the secret mark placed on the rope, for this small 
perforation left by the point of the pencil (and dark¬ 
ened just a little) will look exactly like the hole where 
the thumb tack had been, to a careful observer. 

In Figure 302, you will find that the “tack mark” 
will be down just a little lower than shown in the il¬ 
lustration and the fingers of the left hand will readily 
conceal it. 

By this time the spectator will be ready to cut the 
rope. You can at this point follow one of two courses. 
Hold the rope up and have the spectator cut through 
the place where the mark is (he will think he is cut¬ 
ting the center of the rope where he marked it in the 
beginning) and then you can prompt him to cut the 
other rope at the same point. Then you pretend to the 
audience that he made a mistake and cut both ropes and 
that you only intended that he should cut one. Of course 
this is merely “build-up’’ but you can say that now it 
would be a problem to restore the rope since it is cut 
into three pieces. 

The other method is to allow the spectator first to 
cut at the point of the mark (where he thinks the 
thumb tack had just been) and then say to him: “Oh, 
well, just cut the other rope also for good measure.” 


229 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


In either case, the moment both ropes are cut you 
allow the two ends to drop (end with knot on it and 
other end beside it) and this leaves you with what the 
audience will take for two pieces of rope held in your 
left hand as shown in Figure 304. The close up shows 
what is concealed under the left thumb. Really the 
spectators will be sure that the rope is in three pieces, 
for to all appearances there is a third small piece tied on 
the end of one of the longer pieces hanging from the 
hand. 

Now you comment on the fact that you have three 
pieces of rope, and some “Goofer Powder” in your 
pocket that will work wonders. Quickly you tie the up¬ 
per ends of the two ropes together (?)—but in reality 
only tying the small loop around the long rope. Again 
the knot that is used for this is our old favorite, as 
shown in Figure 1 93. Really too much cannot be said 
of this knot. It is easy to tie, it is most natural in ap¬ 
pearance (much more so than the usual knot used for 
such purposes) and again it takes up the extra rope 
so that no long ends are left dangling around to be ex¬ 
posed a moment later when you desire to get rid of 
same. 

After you have tied this small piece around the 
long piece as just explained, (which to the spectators 
looks as though you tied the two ends of the rope to¬ 
gether, thanks to the fact that they do not know of the 
secret loop in the rope) you turn the rope end for end 
and hold it as in Figure 303. It is held in the left hand at 
this time. 

There is one other subtle piece of trickery per¬ 
formed here. In Figure 303, the knot appears a little 
further from the end than you will find it in actual prac- 


230 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


tice. Well, here’s how that happens. As you bring up 
this end, you take the knot and apparently tighten it 
just a little, as though it were not tied securely enough, 
but what you do is find the actual or proper end, and 
just slide it down the rope an inch or so. This adds to 
the appearance and the spectators never notice it. It 
causes the three pieces (?) to appear a little nearer the 
same length, by making the short rope on the end ap¬ 
pear a little longer. 

Next you take the rope in the right hand and start 
wrapping it around the left hand as shown in Figure 
306. As you do this you will slide the first knot another 
inch or so, and then leave it in the hand and continue 
wrapping until you come to the second knot about mid 
way down. Leave it in the palm of left hand also as you 
wrap. Shortly you will have the rope wrapped around 
the hand as shown in Figure 306. 

Then you tell the spectators you will show them 
the difference between NOT using the Goofer Powder 
and USING IT. “Without the Goofer Powder, the rope 
will remain unchanged for a thousand years!” So you 
state, as you slowly allow the rope to uncoil showing 
the two knots, the first one still a little further down 
on it, thanks to the extra inch or two stolen in wrapping 
it around the hand. 

Quickly wrap the rope around the hand again, just 
the same as before (apparently) but in reality this time 
sliding the first knot right down the rope in the right 
hand until the other knot is reached in the middle of 
the rope, and from this point on, both knots can be 
stripped right on down and off the end of the rope in 
the right hand. The right hand carries them to the right 
trouser pocket to get the GOOFER POWDER (?) and 


23 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

needless to say leaves them there and comes away with 
the imaginary “GOOFER POWDER’’ (absolutely in¬ 
visible to the naked eye) and a little of this is sprinkled 
on the rope and it is again allowed to uncoil—and with 
much dramatics you bring the trick to an end and hand 
the rope to the spectator who marked it in the begin¬ 
ning. His examination of course only serves to identify 
it as the original rope. You have seemingly performed 
a miracle 

U. F. GRANT’S SUPER ROPE TRICK 

Effect: Performer calls attention to a length of 
rope, the ends of which he ties together, forming a 
loop. Then a spectator is allowed to cut the rope right 
in the center of the loop. 

The two cut ends are held wide apart and shown 
to be actually separated, with the knot now in the mid¬ 
dle of the rope. 

Then, by simply passing his hands over the two 
ends, the performer restores the rope to its original 
condition and immediately throws it out for exami¬ 
nation. 

Secret: Take any convenient length of soft rope 
and tie an extra small piece around one end, as shown 
at A, Figure 307. Then coil up the rope and lay it behind 
some object on the table. 

When ready to present the trick, pick up the end 
with the extra piece, concealing this in the hand. Then 
grasp the free end with the other hand and hold out for 
inspection. Bring the two ends together and tie, form¬ 
ing a loop. In the act of showing the rope to be appar¬ 
ently solid, slide the hand containing the extra piece 
down to the bottom, carrying the extra piece with it. 


232 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Now grasp rope at top with other hand, covering 
real tied ends as at B, Figure 308. Then place end A also 
in upper hand. This hand now conceals both the real 
and the fake tied ends, as shown in Figure 309. 




311 


Next pick up the shears, at the same time dropping 
end A into view, and the audience will naturally think 
this is the two tied ends of the rope. Figure 310. Now 
request a spectator to cut both sides of the loop near 
f he hand, still holding as in Figure 310 with the real 
knots concealed. After being cut, place the small pie~e 
with the real concealed knot in the pocket. Now hold 
the cut ends wide apart. Next untie the extra piece A 
and hold rope and loop as in Figure 311. 

In restoring the rope, either cut away the extra 
piece or slip it off, and same is left in the pocket while 
after a ring to pass over the rope. Show rope as one 
piece and toss out for examination. 

The simplicity of this effect makes it really worth 
while and effective. 


233 


















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


WALDO CLARKE’S LITTLE RHODY ROPE TRICK 

Most cut and restored rope tricks demand that the 
performer have some skill in palming and be able to in¬ 
troduce into the trick some “gimmick” and get rid of it 
when the trick is over. We want a rope trick which has 
all the ear marks of a professional presentation and yet 
be capable of performance by one who has not yet be¬ 
come adept in the art of sleight of hand. A year or so 
ago I saw a rope trick which puzzled me so that I re¬ 
turned to the theatre twice in order to study it, and to 
this day I am not sure as to the means employed. 

So, taking that trick as a basis, I experimented un¬ 
til I could produce the same effects, and whether my 
method is similar or totally different I don’t know, and 
I don’t care now. Some magician friends of mine tell 
me I have introduced a new principle, and anyhow I 
consider it my own trick and have named it the Little 
Rhody for my home State, Rhode Island. 

Here it is, and you should be able to present it suc¬ 
cessfully whether or not you have performed any magic 
before. It will help a lot if you are a bit of an actor to 
the extent of being able to hold the attention of an audi¬ 
ence while you talk. Talk and “misdirection” play as 
important a part in its presentation as do the simple 
finger manipulations, and these are not beyond the 
powers of any normal handed person. 

The equipment is very simple. A piece of soft rope, 
there is a variety of loosely woven clothesline which 
will answer fairly well. A four foot length is about right 
for the performance. Tie a shorter piece of the same 
rope, five or six inches long, around the long piece tight 
enough so that it will not slide off of its own weight 


234 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


and loose enough to allow the longer piece to be drawn 
freely through it. Hold this knot concealed in the left 
hand and make your entrance drawing the rope back 
and forth through your hand as if the hand were empty. 
You need no palming skill for this as your left hand is 
holding the rope and is partially closed, a perfectly nat¬ 
ural position for it. 

Bring this sliding knot near the top end of the rope 
as it hangs down from your hand, leaving proper space 
at the upper end for tying the two ends of the rope to¬ 
gether. Learn by experiment just where to begin the 
knot so as to make the short ends of it correspond to 
the short ends of the sliding one, it being important 
that the two knots look as much alike as possible. See 
that all ends are trimmed off squarely before starting. 

When you tie the ends together use a SQUARE 
KNOT as in Figure 1 7, and don’t pull it tight. Now 
bring the knot you have just made to the bottom of the 
loop by sliding the rope through your left hand and of 
course, through the false knot which you are holding 
there. Thus vour left thumb is about at the actual cen¬ 
ter of the rone, and you announce that you are about 
to cut the rone at that point which will result in vour 
having two short pieces tied together bv the knot. This 
is so manifestly true that no one will argue the point 
with you, but it’s up to you to begin to do a little acting. 
Pretend to notice some indication of incredulity on the 
part of your audience and you repeat your assertion, 
arguing as though you thought they doubted it, mean¬ 
while drawing the rope through your left hand, appar¬ 
ently absent-mindedly, thus causing the knot to travel 
up the opposite side of the loop toward your left hand 
and disappear inside it. But it emerges at once at the 
thumb side of your hand, only this is the fake knot 


235 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


which the real one has pushed out, and it bears suffi¬ 
cient resemblance to the other to be taken for the one 
they have seen you tie. 

But it isn’t all as easy as this. Here s a bit of trou¬ 
ble that will require some practice. As you feel the real 
knot enter your left hand get the short end of B, Figure 
1 7, between the thumb and the fleshy part of the hand, 
away up in the crotch where the thumb joins the hand, 
and pinch it so as to hold it back while you continue to 
pull on the main part of B. Figure 1 8 discloses the ef¬ 
fect that this action has. It converts the square knot into 
a slip knot and you will find that the end B will come 
free in your hand. Pull cautiously until you have the 
end between the tips of the thumb and finger, but don’t 
be too vigorous and pull it out. Now you have the end 
at the finger tips, while the other end is twisted ud in 
your hand, so you must practice until you can get that 
twisted end straightened out and the two ends brought 
together between the thumb and finger and enable you 
to open your hand for an instant and prove that vour 
hand is entirely empty except for the continuous oiece 
of rope they see between the finger and thumb. Don’t 
make too much display of this open handed business, 
but make it appear to be without intent. You must, 
with good reason, hold your hand in the manner thev 
have seen you hold it, partly closed, from now on. 

If you are new at this line of endeavor, vou will 
naturally wonder how a magician can stand up in front 
of a lot of people and go through all the manipulations 
whirh these instructions make necessary and yet escape 
detection in what he is doing. The most remarkable 
things can be done with misdirection. Some writer has 
said that misdirection is the back bone of magic, and 1 
believe it to be the truth. Howard Thurston wrote a 


236 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


book covering his career in magic. In it he tells of his 
long association with the late Harry Kellar and tells us 
of Mr. Kellar’s mastery of the art of misdirection, mak¬ 
ing it cover many defects in his sleight of hand, an art 
which Kellar never seemed able to master, on account 
of his clumsy fingers. Yet Kellar’s fame as a great ma¬ 
gician was international! 

Misdirection consists in diverting the attention of 
an audience by whatever means may be appropriate at 
the time and for the purpose desired. The attention of 
an audience is surprisingly easy to sway. They are 
gathered for the purpose of being entertained and have 
nothing else to do than watch what you are doing. For 
the moment they are entirely dependent upon you for 
something to occupy their minds. If you should stand 
before them wiggling and twisting your fingers trying 
to get the ends of the rope to meet between your thumb 
and finger and nothing was said or done to shift the 
general attention from your hands, they certainly would 
notice your struggles and either get some idea of the 
secret of the trick or wonder what variety of fit you 
were suffering from. 

In the first place NEVER LOOK AT YOUR 
HANDS when you are doing anything like this. If you 
look at them, the people out in front will look at them 
too. You can depend on the majority of the spectators 
following your gaze. An audience is a mighty handy 
thing to have around, especially when they have paid 
admission, but psychologically they are a flock of sheep. 

Now, totally oblivious of your hands, if you ask 
the buxom lady in the front row, looking squarely at 
her, if she has any objection to your cutting this nice 
piece of rope squarely in two in the center, the attention 


237 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

of the company will be directed to the lady, and if she 
replies something to the effect that it isn t her rope and 
you can go as far as you like, the whole assemblage 
will be alert to any exchange of trivialities you may be 
able to manage, leaving you to do about as you like 
with your hands, provided of course that you use de¬ 
liberation and not too much energy. Nobody knows that 
you have the two ends of the rope in your left hand 
instead of a solid part. 

Having the ends straightened out you are able to 
open your fingers and afford a fleeting glimpse of your 
empty hand. The sliding knot is near your left thumb 
where it was pushed by the real knot. You cannot de¬ 
liberately slide it down to the bottom of the loop as you 
did the other because it might be noticed that the rope 
did not move as it must if it were the real knot. To 
cover this difficulty grasp the knot with your right hand 
and swing your body around quickly to the right, pre¬ 
senting your left side slightly to the spectators, and slip 
the knot quickly to the bottom during this turn. This 
imparts a swaying motion to the rope and covers the 
fact that it does not move through your hand. 

With the knot at the bottom of the loop you now 
remark that everything is just as it was before and we 
all seem to be agreed that this is the center of the rope 
and that cutting it will give us two pieces of rope tied 
together with a knot. Take your scissors from your 
right hand coat pocket and cut the rope near your left 
thumb. The piece cut off will be a half inch or less, and 
this bit of rope you drop into the curled fingers of the 
right hand as it holds the scissors. Return the scissors to 
your pocket and drop the bit of rope there too. Use 
short scissors, those with rounded points are the best. 


238 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


ihey are so short that the right hand is almost directiy 
under the ieft in the act of cutting. 

1 he rope now hangs down in a straight piece from 
your left hand, the spectators believe that it is two 
pieces tied together. Explain that the purpose of this 
experiment is to dissolve this knot and knit the two 
ends of the rope as firmly as before it was cut, but be¬ 
fore doing so you must create the 'magic circle by 
tying the ends together again and making a magnetic 
plane, the two knots serving as poles, one the positive 
and the other the negative pole. If you know something 
about electricity, which 1 do not, you can doubtless rig 
up some better explanation as to what you are doing. 
Tie the ends together again, using the same loose square 
knot, and run the loop of rope rapidly through your 
hands, stopping with the sliding knot in your left hand. 
Close your left hand over it and say that you will try 
to dissolve this one first. After holding it a second or 
two report that you can feel it dissolving very rapidly. 
Open your hand a little and take a cautious peek at it 
and announce that it is getting smaller and smaller. 
Another peek and the knot is all gone and the ends are 
knitting together nicely. After another brief interval 
slide your left hand carefully aside and look anxiously 
at the spot where the knot was. It’s perfectly mended! 
Look! With your right hand hold it up for inspection 
while you sweep the left to the extent of the loop. Here 
your hand encounters the real knot which prevents the 
sliding one from going any farther and you simply slip 
your hand along to cover the real knot, leaving the 
sliding one exposed to view in place of it. 

This move is not so open to detection as you may 
think. You have just worked a miracle by healing the 
cut place in the rope and the general interest in the 


239 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


mended spot, though fleeting, is enough to bridge over 
the flash of time that it takes to sweep your hand to 
the left and cover the knot. But even if some one hap¬ 
pened to be watching your left hand instead of the re¬ 
stored spot in the rope, it is a very deceptive move and 
he would hardly know what had taken place. Of course 
a person with a pre-knowledge, or a shrewd suspicion, 
as to the method used, would see through it, but don t 
worry about that. The one who knows the tactics em¬ 
ployed in magic will be the first to appreciate and ap¬ 
plaud a clever ruse. His viewpoint differs materially 
from that of the ordinary observer. He is there, not to 
be puzzled, but to see some good work in a line with 
which he is familiar. Show your own astonishment at 
the success of the operation. 

Do some acting. And while you proceed methodi¬ 
cally to get the short end of the real knot in the crotch of 
your thumb tell your audience how you yourself are al¬ 
ways amazed at the result of this experiment. Address 
some one and say that as you passed his or her house 
the other day you noticed one or two knots in the 
clothesline and offer to step around and fix them. If 
you are met with an indignant denial that there are any 
knots to be found, or that they have a line at their 
house, so much the better. It creates interest and aids 
you in getting the loose end to the tips of the finger 
and thumb. It is not necessary at this point to get the 
ends together and open the hand, but proceed immedi¬ 
ately to getting the sliding knot to the bottom of the 
loop and cutting the rope again, apparently in the cen¬ 
ter, making the turn to the right and dropping the bit 
of rope and disposing of it, all in the same manner. 
Now, holding the upper end of the rope daintily be- 


240 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

tween the finger and thumb, you may open your hand 
and casually show that it is empty. 

Again you have the two short pieces tied together 
( ?), the sliding knot being about half way down the 
length of the rope. Take the knot in your right hand, 
releasing the upper end of the cord. Transfer the knot 
to the left hand and with the two ends hanging down, 
hold the knot so that most of it shows above the index 
finger as you hold it between the thumb and finger. 

Taking your scissors out, you explain that if you 
attempt to dissolve two full sized knots at one perform¬ 
ance you find that “it takes too much out of you” and 
to preserve your vital energy you have adopted the 
practice of trimming the knot to a smaller size. 

Begin by cutting off the ends, and gradually all of 
the rest of it. letting the pieces fall to the floor. The in¬ 
dex finger will conceal the fact that the rest of the knot 
is gone, and at this point say that you are leaving 
enough to keep the ends of the rope together. Close 
your hand around the place, and remark that reducing 
the size of the knot induces quick action. After a sec¬ 
ond or two, open your hand and show that the rope 
is in the same condition as when you first showed it 
although you have cut it in halves twice. 

Most stage performers toss the rope to some mem¬ 
ber of the audience as a souvenir, but as you have cut 
off only two half inch pieces you can of course use it 
many times more by attaching a new sliding knot each 
time. 

This is a very simple little trick, but not so simple 
as to be capable of performance without practice. Go 
through the routine many times before you venture to 
show it to a gathering of friends. Perform it as though 


241 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


you were really the marvelous healer of ropes that you 
are pretending to be. That’s acting. And finally, don’t 
tell others the secrets of the tricks you learn and per¬ 
form from time to time. A veil of mystery over your 
feats of magic will enhance your reputation, not harm 
it. 


THE TARBELL ROPE MYSTERY 

Here are the secrets of the rope trick that set the 
magic world ablaze explained by Doctor Harlan Tarbell 
himself as follows: 

This mystery has puzzled audiences time and again, 
and even magicians have found it utterly baffling. 
Some of the finest newspaper men in the country have 
seen me perform it and have admitted their complete 
bewilderment. It has received more comment, perhaps, 
from the magical fraternity than any other effect in 
twenty-five years. Thurston, the famous magician, 
stopped his show in Milwaukee at one time to have me 
present the rope mystery to his audience. Houdini, 
Laurant, Reno, and others have done the same thing. 
Each time it sent the audience away talking about this 
peculiar Hindu mystery. 

I tell you these things because 1 want you to realize 
the possibilities you have for creating a sensation with 
this master mystery. My only regret is that I cannot first 
present this effect before you and let you puzzle over 
it for a few weeks before I teach you the secrets of it. 
You would then appreciate that its very simplicity is 
what makes it so baffling. 

A peculiar thing about this effect is the elusive 
principles on which it is designed. Even after you have 


242 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


learned how to perform it, if you were to see me pre¬ 
sent it, you might doubt my having given you the cor¬ 
rect method. It is so elusive that some of the finest ma¬ 
gicians on the stage to whom I have taught the effect 
have asked me time and again whether I was sure that 
the methods I taught them were the methods I use my¬ 
self. I have gone into every detail of the presentation 
with them over and over to convince them that I had 
really given them the true secrets. 

I have refused hundreds of dollars for these secrets 
for I desired to disclose them to the profession as a 
whole. And now you are getting one of the finest ef¬ 
fects ever designed in the whole history of magic. 
Guard this mystery carefully, for remember that the 
secret of greatness lies in being able to do something 
that no one else or but few others can do. 

Perform this effect as “A Hindu Miracle,” for giv¬ 
ing it the Hindu atmosphere permits of fine newspaper 
publicity and advertising. The fame is widespread of 
the story of the East Indian Rope Trick, in which a 
rope is thrown up into the air and is then climbed by 
a boy. Associating your effect with this one fires the 
imagination of the audience and permits of a miracle 
performance. The Orient has always been known for 
its mystic splendor and thus presenting an Oriental ef¬ 
fect gives you an opportunity for background and stage 
setting that will add romance to your program. 

One big advantage of this rope mystery is its ver¬ 
satility. It is simple and may be carried in the pocket 
for performance at a moment’s notice. And yet it is so 
designed to be made a feature number on a program. 
It may be done under the most difficult conditions, 
close to your spectators, or it may be performed at a dis- 


243 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


tance with excellent effect. It is suitable for parlor work 
and club work, and also the stage. It can be worked at 
the dinner table and has proved to be a sensation at 
banquets. 

There are several methods for performing this rope 
mystery. This permits you to vary the effect for differ¬ 
ent occasions. 1 want you to learn every method. Then 
you may select the routine you prefer and rehearse it 
until you can convince any audience that you are per¬ 
forming an oriental miracle. 

Do not present this mystery as you would a pocket 
trick for that will not bring you the power that this ef¬ 
fect brings. Stage it in the proper atmosphere so that 
you will gain all the credit you can from it. Build an 
interesting story around it and present it in a convinc¬ 
ing, positive manner, working up to the forceful climax. 

METHOD A 

This is my favorite method because it permits you 
to repeat the effect and then pass out the rope for exam¬ 
ination without exchanging it. 

Effect: A piece of fairly soft white clothesline, 
about seven and a half feet long, is freely shown. The 
two ends are tied together in a knot to form a “mystic 
Hindu circle.” A spectator is given a pair of scissors 
and is asked to cut the rope in the center opposite the 
knotted ends. The rope is cut and the cut ends are held 
far apart. To make sure that the rope has been cut, a 
piece is cut from each of the two ends. The two cut 
ends are placed together, part of the rope wrapped 
around the left hand, and a magic ring applied to the 
rope. The rope is then removed from left hand and 


244 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


shown to be completely restored again to the mystic 
circle, as in the beginning. Performer then states that 
perhaps there are a few in the audience who do not 
know how the mystery is done. He asks spectator to 
cut the rope again in the middle and to cut a piece again 
from one of the ends to make sure the rope is cut. The 
two ends are then tied together in a knot. Magician now 
holds rope with knots at opposite ends. He cuts off one 
of the knots, then passes his hands over the two ends 
and touches them with the magic ring. Suddenly the 
rope is restored. Performer now unties knot at original 
ends of rope. Two spectators are asked to pull on rope 
to show it is whole, and then the rope is thrown out 
to the audience for examination. 

Paraphernalia: 1. A piece of soft white clothesline 
about six or seven feet in length. 

2. A piece of similar clothesline about six inches 
long. 

3. A piece of clothesline about ten inches long. 

4. A metal or wooden ring, an inch or so in di¬ 
ameter. 

3. A pair of scissors, preferably with round ends. 

6. Two Special Rope Gimmicks or Fasteners. 

A Rope Gimmick consists of two pieces of tubing, 
corrugated and painted white to resemble the rope. One 
part of the Gimmick has the positive side of a snap fas¬ 
tener and the other has the negative side Each part is 
so made as to screw on to the end of a rope. When they 
are placed on the rope and then fastened together, they 
are not visible at a short distance, especially if the rope 
is swung a little. When the rope is held close for in¬ 
spection, the fingers cover the Gimmick. These Gim- 


245 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 
micks may be used over and over again. Figures 312, 

313, 314. 



Secret and Patter: How to attach the special Gim¬ 
mick to the rope. Take the long piece of rope and the 
six-inch piece and prepare both ends of each piece as 
follows: Near the end wrap a piece of white thread 
around several times. Figure 315. With sharp scissors, 



cut end of rope up close to thread. Figure 316. This 
gives a substantial enough end on which to screw the 
Gimmick firmly. Cut away any thread that might show 


246 


































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


on rope outside of Gimmick. Be sure to place a posi¬ 
tive part at one end and a negative part of Gimmick at 
other end of each piece of rope. Figure 317. 

The Rope Mystery, as formerly sold, required the 
use of snap fasteners sewed on to the rope. The method 
of working the rope trick was the same but it took 
time and trouble to sew on the fasteners. The new Spe¬ 
cial Gimmick eliminates all this. It is easily and quickly 
screwed on to the rope and can be used over and over 
again. 

However, for the benefit of those who still want to 
sew on snap fasteners, I shall explain the procedure. I 
want you to know how to do this, though I doubt if any 
of you will want to go to the trouble, now that the new 
Gimmick is available. 

The fasteners to use are known as ladies’ dress fas¬ 
teners. There are several brands. The one I recommend 
is the Boye Dress Fastener, Size 3-0. 

How to sew on the fasteners: The idea is to sew on 
opposite oarts of the fasteners at the ends of the ropes 
so that when they are snapped together, the rope looks 
whole. It is necessary to use care in not drawing the 
thread too tight or leaving it too loose. Use white cot¬ 
ton thread, about No. 40, and use a fine enough needle 
to go through the holes in the fasteners. Use about a 
vard of thread and double it for each part of fastener. 

Take end of rope and pull needle through about 
half an inch from the end, bringing thread through to 
knot. Figure 318. 

Wrap the thread around rope four or five times 
and run needle through rope again. Figure 319. 

This wrapping of thread keeps small strands of 
rope from unravelling so that you can cut rope off 


247 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

sharply about a sixteenth of an inch above it. Figure 

320. 

Now take one part of fastener and sew it carefully 
to end of rope. Figure 321. 

Run needle through rope again, then wind enough 
thread around rope again to even it up. Run needle 
through rope several times and cut thread close to rope. 
Figure 322. 

A little practice will enable you to make a neat 
clean-cut job of sewing on the fasteners. The more care 
used and the neater the work, the better results you 
will get. Paint the nickel fasteners with a little white 
Japan paint (it can be purchased in small tubes), 
which has been thinned with benzine for quick drying. 
The advantage of using white paint is that less thread 
can be used in sewing on fasteners and thus the two 
opposite parts will grip tighter together. As with the 
Gimmicks, be sure that you have opposite parts of fas¬ 
teners at each end of each piece of rope. 

How to prepare rope: Take the long piece and the 
six-inch piece of rope which you have prepared with 
Gimmicks or snap fasteners. Attach the short piece to 
the long one to form a circle of rope. Figure 323. 

Now tie the ten-inch piece of rope around the mid¬ 
dle of the rope, opposite to the Gimmicks. This gives 
the effect that the ends of the rope are tied together 
where the extra piece of rope is tied on. The real ends 
of the rope are attached by Gimmicks to the six-inch 
piece, and as these are invisible, it gives the effect that 
this is the middle of the rope. The audience knows 
nothing about the Gimmicks and, of course, is not look¬ 
ing for them. I have never had the Gimmicks detected. 


248 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Especially if the rope is swung a little, the Gimmicks 
are not detectable. Figure 324. 






Fold up prepared rope and place in coat pocket or 
some handy place. Scissors may be in upper left coat 
pocket. I use the round-end scissors to avoid possibility 
of accident from sharp points. Place the “magic” ring 
in right trouser’s pocket. 


249 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Presentation: Take rope from pocket and open it 
up. Hold knotted ends up in hands, allowing part with 
Gimmicks to hang down. Figure 325. 

As you talk, untie the knot, and without exposing 
the short piece of rope, hold long rope between your 
hands as shown in Figure 326. Right hand covers the 
Gimmicks and left hand covers joining of long rope 
with ten-inch piece. 

“There is perhaps no magical effect in the world 
as well known as the great East Indian Rope Trick. You 
have all heard tell of this trick in which a rope is thrown 
high in the air and is then climbed by a boy until he gets 
way up out of sight. There is, however, another rope ef¬ 
fect, equally mysterious and, like the East Indian Rope 
Trick, seldom seen. It is performed by a certain high 
caste of Hindu magicians. Tourists watching this odd 
mystery, have been completely baffled. Even magicians 
who have seen it time and again have been able to of¬ 
fer no solution to the problem. Dr. Harlan Tarbell of 
Chicago, a prominent American Society magician, dis¬ 
covered the secret, and he in turn baffled magicians as 
well as lay audiences with it. Until recently, Dr. Tarbell 
was the only white man who understood the true work¬ 
ing of this ingenious mystery. Dr. Tarbell very kindly 
taught me this peculiar effect and now I want you to 
see .this miracle of magic.” 

Have two gentlemen come up and have one stand 
at your right and the other at your left. 

“The Hindu magician performs out in the open 
with the sky as the roof of his theater. He uses a piece 
of rope about this long and ties the ends together to 
form a circle.” 


250 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Drop rope from right hand and grasp the short 
piece of rope at other end, being careful not to expose 
it as a separate piece. Wrap one end of short piece 
around big rope once again and bring it upward as 
shown in Figures 32 1 and 328. To the audience it ap¬ 
pears that you tied a single knot with ends of the rope. 

Now allow this same end of short rope to drop 
down again and bring it upward so that it is only once 
around long rope. Drop your hands as you do this and 
bring them up again to keep audience from detecting 
what you are doing. Then tie a single knot with two 
ends of short rope on long rope. Figures 329 and 330. 

To the audience it appears that you tied a double 
knot with the ends of the long rope. 

His effects are based on Hindu philosophy and oc¬ 
cultism. it seems that the circle, the square, and the 
triangle have mystical occult meanings. The Hindu 
sometimes sits inside his circle of rope and calls it his 
cycle of life.” 

Place the rope down in front of you near the floor 
to illustrate how the Hindu places his circle on the 
ground. Then bring rope up again. 

“He says that all within is physical.” 

Put right hand and arm through loop of rope to 
illustrate. 

“And that all without is spiritual or psychic.” 

Wave right hand outside of loop of rope. 

“To pass from the material to the spiritual plane, 
it is necessary to cut the line of life. In which case, we 
shall just cut the rope.” 

To gentleman at right: “Would you mind, sir, tak¬ 
ing these scissors?” 


251 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Remove scissors from upper left coat pocket and 
give to this spectator. 

“Now, will you please cut the rope in the middle?” 




Turn rope around so that Gimmick part is at top 
between your hands. Keep Gimmicks concealed. Fig¬ 
ure 331. 

“I think this is about the middle of the rope.” 


252 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Have spectator cut rope. Audience thinks he is cut¬ 
ting whole rope in half, but in reality he is merely cut¬ 
ting short piece in half between the two Gimmicks. 
Hold the ends far apart. Figure 332. 

“Thus the Hindu says he can enter the psychic 
world. Are you quite sure, sir, that you cut the rope? 
Just to make doubly sure, cut it again. Cut a piece 
from this end.’’ 

Hold rope as in Figure 333, and have spectator cut 
a piece from left side of rope within about an inch of 
the Gimmick, keeping Gimmick concealed. Toss this 
piece to audience. 

“Perhaps you would like a souvenir.” 

Show cut end to spectator at your left, and say: 

“Will you notice the cut end, sir?” 

Now to gentleman at right: 

“To make positively sure that the rope has been 
cut, will you kindly cut a piece from this end also?” 

Hold rope so that he cuts a few inches from right 
end of rope rather close to Gimmick. Give him the piece 
of rope just cut off. 

“Please toss it over there to that lady.” 

You now have an inch-stub of rope attached to 
each end of the long rope by Gimmicks. While specta¬ 
tor is tossing piece of rope to lady, take ropes in hands 
as in Figure 334. Grasp the short stubs between thumb 
and base of first finger of right hand. Figure 334. This 
view is away from audience. 

With a natural movement, pull the Gimmicks loose 
from long rope. Back of right hand is to audience. Fig¬ 
ure 333. 

“I should have a magic ring for this.” 


253 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Reach into right trouser s pocket and leave the 
short pieces of rope there, bringing out the ring. 

“Here it is in my pocket.” 

To gentleman at left: 

“Here, sir, I shall give you the magic ring.” 

Give him the ring and then hold the two ends of 
rope far apart in your two hands. Be careful to conceal 
Gimmicks at ends of rope with your fingers. Figure 336. 



254 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

1 o gentleman at left: 

1 believe you, too, are quite sure that the rope has 
been cut. No doubt, you wonder why I ask this so many 
times. I do it because when I get through and you go 
home, you may wonder whether the rope was really 
cut. Anyway, the Hindu brings the ends of the rope 
together for just a second. . 

Bring the two ends of rope together and under 
cover of the fingers, snap the Gimmick together. Do 
this with as little noise as possible. 

“And wraps the rope around his hand.** 

Wrap rope quickly around left hand with the right 
so that audience can see that rope is already restored. 
Figure 337. 

“Touch it with the magic ring, sir.“ 

Gentleman touches rope with ring. 

“The Hindu says, ‘Chee-la-wah-la-bong-wah. 
Watch, for you are about to behold a miracle—a mir¬ 
acle that you will never forget as long as you live.* Then 
he quickly unwraps the rope from his hand.” 

Unwrap rope. 

“And, of course, the rope has been restored com¬ 
pletely to what it was in the beginning.” 

Show rope by passing it quickly around in a circle 
through both of your hands. This gives the form of the 
magic circle and also keeps the Gimmick invisible. Fig¬ 
ure 338. 

Finally get rope into position so that knot is at 
bottom and left fingers cover Gimmick. Figure 339. 

* 

“I realize that it may be hard for several of you to 
understand how the Hindu restores his life-line, so per¬ 
haps I had better explain it to you all over again.” 


255 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


This usually gets a laugh because there is no one 
in the audience that knows how to do the trick. The 
tendency in such an effect is for the audience to want 
to get the rope and examine it. You forestall this un¬ 
til you are ready to pass out the rope by saying you will 
do the trick again. 

In some effects repetition is not good, but in this 
rope mystery, repetition strengthens the effect and 
leaves the audience thoroughly mystified. The two 
methods of working are different so there is no danger 
of detection. 

To gentleman at right: 

“Please cut the rope again.” 

Have spectator cut the rope about an inch and a 
half to two inches to the right of the Gimmick in the 
left hand. Figure 340. 

‘‘And to remove all suspicion, cut the rope again.” 

Grasp left side of rope about four inches below 
left hand with your right hand and have the rope cut 
between your two hands. That leaves the long loop 
of rope entirely free from Gimmicks in your right hand 
and the short piece of rope with the Gimmick in your 
left hand. Figure 341. 

Casually place left-hand piece with the Gimmick in 
your left coat pocket. Do this without hesitation as if 
you were just getting rid of the cut piece of rope. Audi¬ 
ence sees nothing suspicious in this. 

Now hold both ends of rope far apart and say to 
gentleman at left: 

‘‘Since you are one of the chief inspectors, per¬ 
haps you would like to look at this rope a bit closer. 
Examine the ends.” 


256 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Allow spectator to examine the ends of the rope 
closely. 

“Since you give your official O. K., I shall now 
tie the two ends together to form a knot.” 

Tie the two ends together in a double knot. You 
now have this real knot and the fake knot at opposite 
ends of the rope. Figure 342. 




257 










ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Take scissors from gentleman at right. 

“The Hindu says now his troubles begin because 
the knots are supposed to be knots of trouble in his 
life-line. One knot of trouble is enough, he says, for 
any good Hindu. Of course, we can make the knots 
less conspicuous by trimming them up a bit.” 

Trim the ends of the knots up to about an inch 
from each knot. Try to make the knots look alike. 
Then hold both knots in left hand as you gesture with 
right. This confuses the two knots so that audience 
cannot keep track of them separately. Figure 343. 

“Of course, we have two knots.” 

Take a knot in each hand—the fake knot in the 
right hand and the real knot in the left hand. Show knot 
in left hand, pretending this is the first knot tied. Fig¬ 
ure 344. 

“This one we tied originally to make a mystic cir¬ 
cle of the rope.” 

Then show knot in right hand as the second knot 

tied. 

“And this knot is the one tied from the two ends 
the gentleman just cut. I believe, sir, you cut the rope.” 

Drop real knot from left hand and bring fake knot 
in right hand over to left, holding rope from this knot 
as shown in Figure 343. 

With right hand cut knot off, leaving a short piece 
still around long rope. Figure 346. 

“If a knot causes trouble, the solution to the prob¬ 
lem is to cut the knot off. This leaves two ends as we 
had before we tied the knot. Of course, we can even up 
the ends ” 


258 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Pull up end of short piece and cut it away, repeat¬ 
ing until you have finally cut away the short piece en¬ 
tirely and have the long rope looped in left hand. Fig¬ 
ure 347. 

“While the life line is cut, the Hindu says he pro¬ 
jects his astral body back into the physical again. He 
wraps the rope around his hand again.” 

Wrap rope around left hand several times. Then 
ask spectator who holds ring to touch rope with it. 

“Touch it with the magic ring. The Hindu says, 
Chee-la-wah-la-bong-wah. Watch, and you shall be¬ 
hold a miracle. Hoy! 

Throw hands upward, releasing rope from left 
hand. 

“And the rope is again restored.” 

Hold rope over your thumbs. Turn palms of hands 
to audience and spread fingers wide apart. This exhibits 
the rope well to audience Figure 348. 

“To prove to you that the rope has really been 
restored, I shall untie the knot, and give one end of the 
rope to the gentleman here and the other end to the 
gentleman at the other side.” 

As you say this, untie knot and give one end to 
spectator at right and other end to spectator at left. Ask 
them to pull hard on rope, then take it from them. 

“Thank you. You have pulled hard on the rope and 
have proved that every fiber even unto the thousandth 
has been fully restored.” 

Fold rope up a little in your hand to make it easier 
to throw 

“Now you can prove it yourselves by examining 
the rope.” 


259 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Toss the rope into the audience for examination. 

This is your finish. Make it as dramatic as possible. 
Toss the rope high enough to suit the dramatic action. 
Bow a little. Thank the spectators who assisted you and 
allow them to go to their seats. 

Note: Short piece of rope may be attached in an¬ 
other handy manner. Put it around long rope, then 
wind a piece of white thread twice around it. This en¬ 
ables you to carry rope prepared in pocket without 
knotting it in advance. You can also lay rope over your 
shoulder or over back of chair before it is knotted. The 
thread is then broken when you tie the knot. Fig¬ 
ure 349. 

Study every move in this master effect until you 
can perform it so that audiences will talk about and 
remember you for many months. 

As I have said, this is my favorite manner of pres¬ 
entation which is adapted to your use. There are a 
number of variations that you can use from time to 
time. These follow. 


Method B 

In this method, you start with a straight piece of 
rope, apparently, without having the rope knotted. 

Let A represent the short piece to be tied into a 
knot—B, the small piece with Gimmicks, which is to 
be cut—and C, the long piece with Gimmicks. To begin 
experiment, bring in rope, holding A and B between 
thumb and fingers of left hand. Back of hand is to audi¬ 
ence and they believe you hold one long rope. Figure 

350. 


260 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Bring up lower end of C with right hand, covering 
Gimmick. Figure 351. 





Place this end in left hand, and as you do so, snap 
Gimmick into top end of B, making a loop of rope. Fig¬ 
ure 352. 

With right hand, grasp lower end of loop and 
bring it up to left hand toward short piece A. Figure 

353. 

With a swing of the hands, grasp free end of A 
with right fingers and slip loop of rope in right hand 


261 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


over it. Quickly drop rope from left hand and grasp A 
so that rope hangs down from A as shown in Figure 
354. To audience it appears that you have merely tied 
a single knot with the ends of the rope. 

Now tie A once around rope. Audience believes 
you have now tied a double knot with the ends of the 
rope, but in reality, you have the fake knot at one end 
and the Gimmicks at the other end of the loop of rope. 

Figure 355. 

These moves all blend into each other as one con¬ 
tinuous movement and the audience does not suspect 
any trickery. From this point, continue with Method A. 


Method C 

This is one of the finest of the rope trick methods. 
In performing, you bring in an apparently unprepared 
roll of clothesline. 

Take either a ball of clothesline or the regular roll 
in which it is sold. Figure 356. 

Unroll the clothesline and straighten it out. Allow¬ 
ing about ten inches for A, about six inches for B, and 
six or seven feet for C, attach a Gimmick to the ends of 
A and B—B and C—C and D. Figure 357. 

Roll clothesline back into original form, even to 
placing a piece of paper around it as shown in Figure 

356. 

To perform, unwrap the roll of clothesline and un¬ 
roll it to two or three feet beyond the last Gimmick. 
Pick up scissors and cut rope an inch or so beyond 
Gimmick on D. Figure 358. 

Place roll of clothesline aside and show piece you 
have cut off. Bring the two ends together in left hand. 


262 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Backs of hands are to audience. Steal off little piece of 
D from the Gimmick and pocket it. Figure 359. 



i 1 


35S 


cur 



Bring right hand up to left again and pull Gimmick 
apart between A and B. Now hold A and B in left hand 
and end of C in right hand. Separate hands a little. 
Figure 360. 


263 




















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Use routine of Method B to get A tied around long 
rope and then continue effect by Method A. Figure 

361. 

To dispose of Gimmick at end of A, just cut the 
ends of the knot shorter and put the pieces in your 
pocket. 


Method D 

Effect: Magician shows a piece of white sash cord 
about seven and one-half feet long. A spectator is 
asked to cut the rope in half and the rope is then shown 
in two pieces. To convince the audience that the rope 
is actually cut, another spectator is asked to cut a small 
piece from each of the four ends. Magician then holds 
an end of each half of the rope and gives the other ends 
to each of two spectators to hold. Performer now wraps 
his two ends of the rope around his left hand. He re¬ 
moves a ring from his pocket and asks spectator at 
right to thread it on the rope. The ring slides down to 
his left hand. Suddenly he unwraps the rope and it is 
seen to be completely restored. The ring is then allowed 
to slide off other end of rope. 

Required: 1. Two pieces of soft white clothesline, 
each about three and a half feet in length. 

2. A short piece of clothesline, six inches long. 

3. Two Gimmicks. 

4. Pair of scissors. 

5. A metal or wooden ring, an inch or more in di¬ 
ameter. 

Secret and Patter: To Prepare: Half of a Gim¬ 
mick is placed on one end of each long piece of rope. 
Half Gimmicks are placed on both ends of the short 


264 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


piece of rope. The Gimmicks must be so arranged as to 
permit you to fasten the short piece between the long 
pieces of rope and then remove the short piece and 
fasten the two long pieces together. Place the short 
piece between the two long pieces. To the audience it 
appears that you have one long rope. Figure 362. 



By keeping the rope in motion while performing, 
the Gimmicks will not be visible. 

Place folded rope in right coat pocket, scissors in 
upper left coat pocket, and the ring in right trousers 
pocket. 

To perform: Have two spectators come up to as¬ 
sist you. Place one of them at your right and a little 
in front of you and the other one in a similar position 
on your left. For convenience in explaining, let the 
man at the right be Smith and the one at the left, Jones. 


265 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


“All of you, no doubt, have heard of the great 
East Indian Rope Mystery, in which a rope is thrown 
high into the air where it remains suspended so that a 
boy can climb it and vanish into space. Thousands have 
told about this mystery, but no one except a very few 
magicians have been able to solve it. Would either of 
you two gentlemen like to climb up a rope? Well, per¬ 
haps, it will not be necessary. India is famous for its 
rope tricks—and there is another rope mystery which 
has not only baffled tourists in India, but has baffled 
every magician who has ever seen it. A few years ago 
Dr. Harlan Tarbell of Chicago, an eminent American 
magician, discovered the secret. He first presented the 
effect in Paris with great success. Only until recently 
he was perhaps the only white man who understood 
the working of this peculiar rope mystery. Dr. Tarbell 
very kindly taught me how to present this ingenious 
mystery, and I want you now to see this miracle of 
magic. The Hindu usually performs out in the open air 
with the sky as the top of his theater. To begin his rope 
miracle, he takes a piece of rope from his pocket simi¬ 
lar to this one.** 

Remove rope from pocket and unfold it, keeping 
it slightly in motion. 

“A rather short piece of clothesline, but long 
enough for a Hindu washing.” 

Start with left end of rope and run it through 
your hands. Give rope three’or four tugs in different 
places, being careful to pull rope only outside of mid¬ 
dle piece. This convinces audience that rope is strong 
and is in one piece. 

“Strange to say, the rope has two ends and a mid¬ 
dle. The middle should be about here in the center.” 


266 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Run rope through your fingers until you hold a 
Gimmick between thumb and fingers of each hand. 
Figure 363. 

Bring two Gimmicks together and hold in left hand 
while you bring out scissors with right hand. Figure 

364. 

To Jones, at left: 

“Please take these scissors and cut the rope in two 
pieces of about equal length.” 

Give him the scissors, then hold rope as shown in 
Figure 363, and have Jones cut rope between the two 
Gimmicks. Audience believes he is cutting the rope in 
half, but he is merely cutting the short middle piece 
between the two Gimmicks. Separate your hands about 
two feet so that all can see the separate pieces of rope. 
Figure 363 

“Are you sure you cut the rope? Would you mind 
just cutting a piece off an end here for a souvenir?” 

Have Jones cut about an inch from the short piece 
in your right hand. 

“Now cut a piece from the other end here. 

Jones cuts a piece from the short rope in your 
left hand. 

“Please examine the two ends. Give the scissors 
to the gentleman here and let him cut off the other 
two ends.” 

Bring lower ends up and have Smith cut about an 
inch from each. As he does this, let him hold the two 
lower ends, while you retain your hold on the two up¬ 
per ends in your left hand. 


267 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Bring your right hand up to left and palm off the 
two short pieces from Gimmicks on ends of long ropes. 
Carry these away between thumb and base of first 
finger. 

When two ends are cut and examined by Smith, 
reach into right trousers’ pocket. Leave the two stubs of 
rope there and bring out the ring. 

“This is a Magic Hindu Ring. Will you, Mr. 
Smith, look at it closely?’’ 

Hold both ropes apart in your hands, keeping Gim¬ 
micks at top covered by fingers. 

“By the way, are you sure that you cut the rope 
in half? I want you to be sure so that afterwards you 
will not say, ‘Well, maybe the rope wasn’t cut.’ Mr. 
Smith, will you hold one end, and Mr. Jones, you the 
other? Now, the Hindu ties these two ends together 
into a knot.’* 

Bring your two hands together and snap the two 
ropes together by the Gimmick. Do this noiselessly and 
under cover of your hands. Keep Gimmick in left hand 
and wrap rope several times around this hand. This pre¬ 
vents any accidental opening of Gimmick. 



Figure 366 shows your position now in relation to 
spectators assisting you. 


268 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Mr. Smith, will you please slip the ring on to the 
rope and let it slide down to my hand?” 

As he does this, take hold of his end of rope with 
your right hand and have him release it. Figure 367. 

It is impossible for the ring to go farther because 
of my hand. But watch closely, for you are about to see 

a HINDU MIRACLE. Behold!” 

Allow the rope to unwrap from left hand. The rope 
then straightens out between your right hand and left- 
hand spectator, and ring slides down to left end of rope. 

“The rope becomes whole again!” 

Take rope from Jones and allow ring to slide off 
into your left hand. Place ring in pocket. 

Run rope through your hands, keeping it in motion 
so that Gimmicks will not be detected by assistants. 
Pull on rope several times to show it is whole, keeping 
on each side of the Gimmick. Dismiss gentleman as¬ 
sisting you. 


Method E 

This method is extremely puzzling for it seems that 
the spectators do the work themselves and allow no op¬ 
portunity for trickery. 

Take a piece of clothesline about seven feet long, 
and two small pieces about three inches long. Screw a 
half-Gimmick on each end of the long rope and cor¬ 
responding half-Gimmicks on one end of each short 
piece. Fasten the three pieces together. Figure 368. 

Place rope in hands of spectator at left. As the 
Gimmicks are near ends of rope, they hang down and 


269 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


are not noticed. Have this spectator walk over to the 
spectator at right so that latter can cut the rope in half. 
Figure 369. 




As spectator holds the halves of rope apart, you 
grasp ropes at D and F with your left hand, covering 
the Gimmicks. Figure 370. 

Ask spectator to drop rope. This brings ends D and 
F upright in your hand. Cut pieces from D and F so that 
inch-stubs remain above the Gimmicks. Then give scis¬ 
sors to gentleman at left and have him cut pieces from 
ends C and E. As he does this, steal the short stubs of 
rope with right hand. Reach into pocket for magic ring 
and leave stubs there. 

Continue routine as in Method D. 

The rope is, of course, restored by snapping the 
two remaining halves of the Gimmicks together. Fig¬ 
ure 371. 


270 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Method F 

This is a very simple method, requiring no Gim¬ 
micks. 

The effect is that a piece of rope is tied together 
to form a loop. It is then cut in the middle, opposite to 
the knot. Several inches are then cut from one of the cut 
ends. These ends are tied together. Magician now cuts 
away one of the knots and the rope is restored. 

Take a length of rope and sew the two ends to¬ 
gether with white thread. In the middle of the rope, 
opposite to the sewed ends, tie a small piece of rope to 
make a fake knot. 

Bring rope out prepared as in Figure 372. 



Follow routine of second part of Method A to per¬ 
form this effect. 

There you have the real secrets of the Tarbell Rope 
Mystery. You will find any one of the methods a real 
hit on your program. 


271 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


CAPTAIN JONES’ ROPE TRICK 

The rope trick performed by this magician is ex¬ 
actly the same as Method F, just explained, but the two 
ends are joined together with adhesive tape instead of 
sewn. 


MINOCHER NOWROJI’S RESTORATION 

Effect: The performer displays a giant bead or ball 
threaded on a rope the ends of which are tied. The prob¬ 
lem is to remove the bead without untying the ends of 
the rope. The magician has an easy solution. He cuts 
the rope. That is not very magical and so he ties the 
ends together, trims the knot, and the rope becomes 
restored. 

Secret: The ball is threaded on the rope in advance 
and the ends of the rope sewn or taped together. See 
A—A in Figure 373. 




272 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


A short piece of rope is tied about the large loop 
to represent the actual ends being knotted. Figure 374. 
The ball is slid over the joint. 

Presentation: As the secret joint is safely hidden 
in the ball, the rope may be freely displayed at close 
range. Two volunteers hold the rope. Figure 373. 

Slide the ball from one volunteer to the other to 
show how impossible it would be to remove it without 
opening the knot. The ball is moved with the right hand 
and the joint is covered with the left hand as soon as 
it emerges from cover. This is a natural move to appar¬ 
ently assist you in sliding the ball first to one spectator 
and then back and across to the second. The left hand 
must, of course, release and again grasp the joint dur¬ 
ing the ball’s journey across to the second spectator. 

The rope is cut after the ball finally rests over the 
joint and in such a manner that about two inches of 
the rope projects from each side of the ball. Figure 376. 

The ball is disposed of and the ends just cut are 
knotted together. Conclude as in Method F of the Tar- 
bell Rope Mystery. 

BALL THEM UP 

Although originally described as a string trick, by 
Joe Berg and Nelson Hahne, this routine is readily 
adaptable to rope 

A ball with a hole through the center is displayed 
threaded on a length of rope. The ball is cut off the 
rope. Figure 378. The two ropes are tied together by 
the spectator. The performer ties the other ends of the 
ropes together. Either of the two tied ends is chosen by 


273 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


the spectator. The performer covers these two ends 
with a fancy foulard and states that he will replace the 
ball on the rope. To the spectator, this seems to be very 
simple; for the performer only has to untie the knot, 
place the ball on the rope and retie the knot. However, 
when the performer removes the foulard, the ball is on 
the rope but the knot is gone. The rope has been re¬ 
stored into one piece! 

■I 

377 

Secret: Two balls of similar appearance are re¬ 
quired. They must be small enough that one can easily 
be concealed in the hand. The two balls are threaded 
on the rope and the ends of the rope sewn or taped to¬ 
gether. This joint is concealed by sliding one ball over 
it. The other ball is concealed in the left hand. An extra 
piece of rope is looped through the main piece of rope 
to represent the ends. The ball covering the joint is ap¬ 
parently on the center of the rope. 

Refer to Figure 377. A is the concealed ball. B is 
the ball that covers the joining of the actual ends. C is 
the short piece of rope that represents the ends. 

Presentation: Display the ball on the rope and tie 
the fake ends of the rope together. The spectator is in¬ 
vited to cut the visible ball from the rope by cutting 



274 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


straight across both ropes. Figure 378. The spectator is 
requested to tie these two newly-made ends together, 
leaving the ball off the rope. 

He is asked to choose one of the knots. If the real 
ends are chosen, he is allowed to hold them. If the fake 
ends are chosen, performer states that he will use those 
ends. These ends are held under the foulard along with 
the secret ball that is already on the rope. 

The right hand places the visible ball under the 
foulard with the remark that the ball will be placed on 
the rope. When the right hand is under the foulard, 
the ball is palmed and the fake ends are untied and re¬ 
moved from the main rope. The short piece of rope is 
palmed along with the ball. They are disposed of as the 
foulard is laid aside. 

Apparently, the ball has been placed on the rope 
and the rope restored in the process. 

NU-CUT ROPE TRICK BY ELDON NICHOLS 

Effect: A length of rope, probably seven feet long, 
is displayed. The ends are tied together so that a large 
loop is thus formed. This loop is cut through at any 
point desired and immediately restored. The effect is 
immediately repeated. 

Secret: The rope is prepared as in Method F of the 
Tarbell Rope Mystery. However, Mr. Nichols uses rope 
cement to fasten the ends together. In addition, there is 
a small circle of rope, the ends of which are also ce¬ 
mented, linked into the large loop. Figure 379. 

Presentation: Loop is brought forward with the 
small circle of rope concealed in the right hand. The 


275 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


large loop is drawn through the right hand, and the 
circle of rope, in a rotary motion. At any time you stop, 
pull the small loop up above your fisted right hand and 
cut it in two. Trim the ends until it is completely cut 
away and then show that the rope is restored. 



The second time you rotate the rope between your 
hands, you stop at the cemented joint on the large loop. 
Cut through the joint itself, trim the ends and then knot 
them. Conclude as suggested for Method F of the Tar- 
bell Rope Mystery. 

Variation: Can also be worked by cutting the small 
circle and tying the resultant piece around the main 
rope. Now, cut at the joint on the large loop and tie 
those ends together. The audience think the rope has 
been cut into three unequal lengths. All you have to do 
is to trim away the extra rope in the two fake knots, 
untie the real knot, show the rope to be again in one 
piece, and toss to the audience. 

Another Variation: The Encore Rope Trick is ex¬ 
plained later in this chapter. Add the small circle of 
rope to the large loop used in that trick. 

Slowly draw the large loop through your right 
hand, and circle fake, until told to stop. Cut the rope 


276 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


(really the small fake loop) right at that point. Trim 
it away and show the rope restored. 

Remark that in case some one still doubts that the 
rope can be restored regardless of where the rope is 
cut through you will give them the rope in their own 
hands to cut where they will. Continue with the regu¬ 
lar Encore Rope routine. 

DOC NIXON’S ROPE MYSTERY 

This is not the explanation of a routine but the 
description of what Doc Nixon used in placed of snaps. 
He used round wooden toothpicks. The ends of the rope 
were immersed in Clear Lacquer to which was added a 
portion of White Lacquer. The ends were allowed to dry 
and were then trimmed off squarely with a razor blade. 
Using a nail, a small hole was bored quite deeply in the 
center of each end. A toothpick was then dipped in the 
lacquer and pushed well into one end. The ends of a 
short piece of rope were prepared in the same manner. 
The projecting ends of the toothpicks were shortened 
to about half an inch and whittled to a sharp point. The 
short piece of rope could now be attached to the long 
rope and the two united into a large loop around which 
another short piece of rope could be tied so as to be all 
set to work Method A of the Tarbell Rope Mystery. 

THE ENCORE ROPE TRICK 

Magi shows a length of rope, the ends of which 
are tied, making a complete circle of about six feet. 
Magi passes rope to a spectator and asks him to cut the 
rope anywhere. This is done. The tied end is then cut 
away. There can be no doubt in the minds of the audi- 


277 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


ence. They have actually seen the rope cut. Now with¬ 
out any tying of ends or without rolling the rope up 
into a ball or bundle, the rope is seen to be one whole 
piece and can be given to spectator with your compli¬ 
ments. Just stop and think. Here is a method that does 
not require intricate twists, snap fasteners, cement or 
a switch. 

Secret: A novel type of rope is used that is ex¬ 
tremely easy to cut and handle and the fact that IT IS 
AN ENDLESS PIECE completely puzzles the wise ones. 



A six-inch piece is looped as in Figure 380 and 
pinched over a portion of the loop. Figure 381. It can 
be removed quickly and easily by merely pushing or 
sliding it off the circle of rope. 



Presentation: Exhibit rope, tie the ends together 
while explaining that you have one piece of rope which 
you are thus forming into a circle. Pass scissors and 


276 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


rope to a spectator and ask him to cut it anywhere he 
wishes 

There is very little chance of him tampering with 
faked ends as he is busy finding a place in rope to cut. 

After he has cut rope, take from him and hold it 
so that everyone can see the four ends. Now lay the 
rope over the open left hand so that the knot section 
rests on the end of first finger. 

Place thumb firmly on knot, then curl fingers 
around the rope and pull this section of rope away from 
between thumb and first finger. When this easy move 
is finished, you should be holding the small piece of 
rope, by knot, between thumb and first finger and the 
middle section of long piece in closed left hand, second, 
third and fourth fingers. Now pick up the ends of short 
piece in right hand and ask spectator to cut once again 
—right through the knot. When he does this, allow 
these two pieces to drop to the floor and with them the 
very small piece of knot that was left between thumb 
and first finger in the cutting. Double up ends of rope 
and hold all between fingers of either hand, say the 
“Magic Word,** open out the rooe and show it restored. 

Verv little ingenuity is needed to work many dif¬ 
ferent methods of presentation with this idea. For in¬ 
stance, this rope material folds up so small that it would 
be an easy matter to exchange a number of cut pieces 
for a duplicate in one piece prepared to represent a 
number of cut pieces and then proceed with the restor¬ 
ing. 

ADDITIONAL ENCORE ROPE METHODS BY 
BERT DOUGLAS 

Have the short piece of rope tied to circle of rope 
and, as you introduce the trick, casually untie the short 


279 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


piece of rope and then hold rope and extra piece in left 
hand, so that the thumb covers portion of ropes where 
linked. Figure 382. 



Now right hand grasps long piece of rope just be¬ 
low link, and twists same around second and third fin¬ 
gers of left hand and pushes ends of rope through this 
loop to apparently form a regular knot. Actually the 
ends of rope are pushed through one loop only (instead 
of double loop) and this actually forms a trick knot. 
The knot is then drawn up tight behind the short piece 
of rope, and the result is as in Figure 383. 

The rope may now be tossed out to the audience 
and there is absolutely no danger of the short piece of 
rope becoming prematurely dislodged and thus spoil¬ 
ing the trick. The short piece of rope is held securely 
in the knot, yet it can easily be withdrawn and dis¬ 
posed of when required. 


280 










ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Have spectator cut the rope anywhere he wishes— 
99 times out of 1 00 he will cut through the center di¬ 
rectly opposite knot. Now tie the cut ends of the rope 
together in the usual manner, making the two knots 
as much alike as possible, then trim the loose ends of 
both knots so they appear similar. Show the rope quite 
freely, twisting it around so that no one can keep track 
of the knots, finally have a spectator select either knot 
he wishes. If fake knot is selected, immediately cut off 
the unprepared knot. If unprepared knot is chosen, cut 
it off. This is really a force and whatever knot is chosen 
the unprepared one is cut off and the fake knot left. 

If desired, two spectators may be allowed to hold 
the ends of the rope while you proceed to trim down 
the knot with the scissors. Actually you keep trimming 
away until the short piece of rope is cut entirely away, 
leaving only the fake knot. Standing at a distance from 
the rope, you request the volunteers to pull on the rope 
when commanded to do so. Ask the audience to keep 
their eyes on the knot. When the rope is pulled the 
FAKE KNOT VANISHES VISIBLY—the rope is re¬ 
stored and may be immediately passed out to the audi¬ 
ence for thorough inspection. 

After working the previous effect several times, 
the performer will be in possession of several lengths 
of special rope which cannot again be used for any of 
the two previous methods of the Encore Rope Trick. 
Here is a novel routine that can be performed with the 
straight pieces of rope, and which can only be per¬ 
formed on account of the special soft material of which 
the rope is made. 

In addition to two lengths of the rope material, you 
will require a tube similar to that used for the color 


281 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


changing handkerchief through the hand. In this case 
it should be slightly wider than usual, and a cardboard 
tube is preferable to metal. Take one length of the rope 
and tie two short pieces of rope thereon in position 
shown in Figure 384, using the special fake knot ex¬ 
plained in the previous method. This prepared rope is 
pushed into the tube, and the latter is carried in a con¬ 
venient pocket. 

To perform the trick, first show duplicate length 
of rope and have it cut by a spectator into three pieces, 
i. e., thirds. Now tie the three pieces together so that 
this rope will look exactly like the prepared one. 

As you place scissors in pocket, steal out the loaded 
tube and retain in right hand. Take rope from specta¬ 
tor and draw it through the left hand several times (as 
you do in the color changing silk routine) finally leav¬ 
ing tube in left hand. Push the cut rope therein as you 
draw out the prepared rope from the bottom of the fist 
little by little. When rope is fully inside tube, steal the 
tube on fingers of right hand, and dispose of same 
while all eyes are directed at rope in left hand. Appear 
disappointed that your magical powers have failed you 
as the rope has not been restored. Nobody will suspect 
that the rope has actually been exchanged. 

Two spectators may then be requested to hold the 
ends of the rope while you make another attempt to 
work the miracle. You then proceed to trim off the 
short pieces until only the two fake knots remain and 
these, of course, vanish visibly on command. The rope 
is now completely restored and open to unlimited in¬ 
spection. 


282 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


NED ASBURYS VARIATION 

At first it may seem that I have stolen Bert Doug¬ 
las version where the straight length is used, but it will 
be found that there is really quite a difference. 

Take the straight length of rope that is left from 
cutting the loop open, and remove from it a short piece 
four or five inches long. Tie this in a real square knot 
around the middle of the long piece. 

This piece of prepared rope can be left in plain 
sight on the table, including the knot portion, the rope 
being arranged so that the two long free ends hang 
down over the table edge and well apart from each 
other. 

When ready to perform, pick the rope up quite 
carelessly, making no attempt to conceal the knot. 
Dangle the rope around in your hands during the open¬ 
ing patter and even make a feint of untying the knotted 
“end ”, but after getting one knot untied, proceed to 
think better of it and tie it up again without revealing 
that they are only fake ends. 

Gather up the two dangling ends and deliberately 
tie them together in any kind of knot, finally exhibiting 
the rope stretched taught, apparently two pieces tied 
together at each end. 

Now give the spectators their choice of cutting 
either apart. (No force.) If they choose the fake knot, 
cut through the knot (really cut off the short piece 
through its knot but leaving the long piece intact) but 
just cis the knot is about to cut through, bunch up the 
whole rope in the right hand before they can see that 
the rope is really a long loop. This is the only point 
where any concealment is necessary. 


283 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Take the scissors from the right hand and place 
them on the table with the left hand. Pull out the re¬ 
maining knotted end (the real knot at the actual ends 
of the rope) and ask if they wouldn’t like to have you 
cut that knot too, to make the trick more difficult. 
Transfer the balled up rope to the left hand and leave 
just the knotted end in sight. 

Pick up scissors with the right hand and cut the 
knot off. Replace the scissors on the table, bring the 
hands together and rub them in a circular motion, grad¬ 
ually show more and more of the rope until it is seen 
to be restored. 

If the spectator chooses the real knot instead, cut 
it off. Stuff the rope into the left fist until you reach 
the fake knot. Display the two ends and say that you 
will see what will happen if you cut this knot too. Cut 
through knot and, as pieces fall to floor, place the scis¬ 
sors on the table (misdirection from the rope) and 
right hand immediately goes back to left hand, con¬ 
cealing looped end. As soon as right hand covers loop, 
begin to pull rope free from left fist as if testing it as 
you go along. Finally show entire rope restored and 
toss to audience. 

DR. CLYDE CAIRY’S FOLLOW ME ROPE 
ROUTINE 

Effect: The performer and a volunteer each take 
a rope and cut it into three pieces. The performer re¬ 
stores his rope to one straight unknotted length but 
the volunteer still has—three pieces. The restored rope 
is presented to the volunteer as a souvenir. 

Secret: The rope (?) that Dr. Cairy uses is really 
stockinette. This is obtainable from a Packing House 


284 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


and will make a continuous loop some nine to ten feet 
in circumference. If you are satisfied to use smaller 
loops, they may be made from the tubular polishing 
cloth obtainable at auto supply stores. 

Of the two ropes that are used, one is an endless 
loop with a twelve or fifteen inch piece linked through. 
Figure 385. The other rope is an unprepared, straight 



386 


length. Both are on the table with the loops forward 
and ends away from audience. 

Presentation: Pick up unfaked rope and give to a 
member of the audience. Take other piece, by the looped 

end, AND LET THE TWO ENDS DANGLE. Due to 

the nature of the material, it tends to twist and effec¬ 
tively conceals the joint. The rope may even be parted 
slightly, the lower fake end will remain twisted. 

Run rope through your left hand to get the two 
ends. Hold the secret joint concealed between the left 
thumb and forefinger. Trim off the ends, ostensibly to 
show them unprepared, an inch or two at a time, until 
you get down to about two inches from the fake twist. 


285 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The member from the audience does the same as 
the performer is apparently doing. 

Both men tie the two ends of the rope together in 
order to form a loop. In the case of the magician, he 
has merely tied a short piece around the main rope. 
Each spread their loop wide apart so that all may see. 

Instruct the assistant to take the rope in his two 
hands with the knot close to the left hand. Figure 387 
(It makes no difference to him but it does to you.) 
Tell him to bring the two ends of the loop together to 
form two loops. 

A fake twist is introduced in your rope in this 
manner. The secret move is made with the right hand. 
Hold the loop as in Figure 387. Allow loop to fall onto 




388 389 


thumb. Figure 388. Turn fingers in toward body and 
engage strand marked B. Pass fingers up between B and 
A, as shown in Figure 389, and allow loop to drop into 
curled fingers as in Figure 387. 


?86 










ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


This move simply twists the right hand loop a 
half-turn and is easily accomplished as the hands come 
together to make the double loop. 

If the right hand loop is placed behind (away from 
audience) the left hand loop, a double loop will be 
formed with a fake twist in the center. Figure 390. 



M — - —fr 


391 


When stretched tight, this twist cannot be seen. (Stock¬ 
inette is about the only material that will do this.) 

Run the double loop round and around between 
the hands but keeping it tight. The fake twist can be 
felt and should be stopped under the left forefinger and 
thumb. Due to holding the original knot near the left 
hand, the fake twist should be located across from the 
knot. Figure 390. 

Let the loop fall from the right hand. The knot 
should be down. Tell the volunteer to hold his loops in 
the same manner. He is then instructed to cut through 
both strands about two inches from his left forefinger 


287 









ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


and thumb. When you do this, you are cutting to within 
a couple of inches of the fake twist you have made. 

Both of you again tie the two ends together. The 
other ends are let fall. Both ropes are apparently iden¬ 
tical, three pieces of rope tied together with two knots. 
His is actually in that condition but your rope is one 
long length and bears two fake knots. 

This trick would be very poor if one did not have 
a member of the audience follow him with another 
rope. The spectators have no way of knowing what 
results SHOULD be obtained if a rope is tied into a 
loop, doubled, cut, and the ends tied. In this way the 
volunteer proves that the correct result is three pieces, 
tied with two knots, to make one long piece. 

Both of you wrap the rope around the left fingers 
until a knot is reached. One more turn is made to keep 
the rope from falling when the knot is cut off. The knot 
is placed in the hand in each case to be trimmed away. 
It is necesary to make certain that the assistant trims 
the knot completely away, in which case two cut ends 
will show up. He is cautioned to keep a finger over 
these, so the ends will not fall, and you should pretend 
to do the same as you snip off a fake knot. 

The rope is then wound some more, covering the 
two cut ends again to hold them in place, until the sec¬ 
ond knot is reached. This is disposed of in the same 
manner as the first. The rest of the rope is wrapped 
around the left hand. 

The dramatic climax is reached when you stand 
side by side, wave your hands over the rope as you re¬ 
peat a mystic phrase, and then unwind the ropes. The 
volunteer’s comes out in three pieces. Yours is restored. 


288 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


WINSTON FREER’S SUGGESTION 

Mr. Freer suggested that the magician could now 
present the volunteer with the restored rope, which 
would prove it was O K., take the spectator’s three 
pieces, tie them together and apparently restore by 
switching for a duplicate rope. 

Dr. Cairy offers this solution. Tie the three pieces 
together. Wrap them around the hand and tell the as¬ 
sistant to repeat what he did before. Without instruc¬ 
tion, he probably will have some difficulty. In order to 
help him, you put the rolled up rope in your pocket, or 
on the table, and help the assistant. It is a duplicate 
that you remove from your pocket or from behind 
some object on the table. Finish as before. 


S. REILLY’S ROPE TRICK 

Effect: The ends of a length of rope are tied in 
order to form a circle. THE ENDS OF THE ROPE 
ARE A BRIGHT RED. The rope is fairly cut. The cut 
ends are not tied together. Rope is simply wound 
around the hand, allowed to uncoil, and is revealed 
restored. The ends of the rope are still red. The next 
effect is that of tying the rope around the neck, and in¬ 
stantly releasing neck from the rope. It’s a perfect rou¬ 
tine—a marvelous rope effect—and the patter story is 
a dandy. There is no cement or snaps used. So ingen¬ 
ious that it will even fool magicians and it is practical 
to present it within three feet of an audience. 

Preparation: First paint a Va inch band of color on 
both ends of a 6 inch piece of rope. 


289 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Then take a 6 foot length of the same rope and 
paint a 24 inch band of color about 1 inch from each 
end. When the paint is dry, slip two white metal tubes 
or shells on the rope to cover the painted bands. Bring 
the two ends together and fasten with a piece of ad¬ 
hesive tape to form a circle of rope. 



290 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


1 ie the 6 inch piece of rope, with painted ends, in 
a single knot, on the large circle of rope directly op¬ 
posite the adhesive tape. 

Refer to Figure 392. A represents the painted ends 
of the 6 inch piece tied around the main rope. B marks 
the painted bands, near the actual ends of the main 
rope, covered with the white metal shells. C indicates 
the actual ends of the long rope held together with the 
adhesive tape. 

Now make a small circle of rope, using a piece 
about 4 inches long, and fasten the ends together with 
adhesive tape. 

Place the prepared large circle of rope in the left 
trouser pocket, the small circle behind the right coat 
lapel (the pressure of the lapel against the coat will 
keep the small circle in place), a scissors in the right vest 
pocket and you are ready to perform. 

Although the description of the necessary moves 
is quite lengthy, if you will take the time and effort 
to carefully work them out properly, you will be am¬ 
ply repaid by having at your finger tips the greatest of 
all rope tricks. 

Patter: Centuries ago, a Chinese legend tells us, 
there lived an old high priest called Chow Coon. And 
he lived in a small Buddhist Temple, surrounded by a 
bandit infested wilderness, (1) on the banks of the 
Yangtze River. 

It is told that Chow Coon was the proud possessor 
of a piece of magic rope, which on many occasions 
was the means of saving his life (2). It seems, that 
whenever he would tie the ends of the rope together 
it became a magic circle, and if placed around his neck 
(3), protected him from all physical harm. 


291 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Now one day while strolling through the temple 
garden, the magic rope about his neck, Chow Coon be¬ 
came tired, so he paused to rest in the shade of a beau¬ 
tiful tree, and fell fast asleep. 

Bandits appeared on the scene and saw Chow Coon 
slumbering peacefully, with the magic rope around his 
neck. How well the bandits knew the story of the magic 
rope is told in the legend by their actions (4). Stealthily 
they crept close to the sleeping old man, (5) cut the 
rope in two pieces, thereby destroying its magic power. 
Chow Coon was rudely awakened, easily made a pris¬ 
oner and was carried away to a secret cave in the moun¬ 
tain side. 

(6) Now Chow Coon was crafty, (7) and he knew 
a thing or two about magic. (8) He cut off a small 
piece of the rope, (9) and saying the magic words, 
Mock-a Yey-a, caused it to become a magic charm. (10) 
He passed the magic charm over the two pieces of 
rope, (11) then wrapped the pieces around his left 
hand, (12) a few more passes with the magic charm 
and instead of two pieces of rope. (13) he now held the 
rope in its original form, one piece. His safety was now 
assured, (14) if he could but once again form the rope 
into a magic circle. (15) He placed the rope around his 
neck, but before he could tie the ends together, he was 
seized from behind—he was helpless. 

The bandits decreed that Chow Coon should die 
and they decided to hang him. So that same day he was 
placed beneath the limb of a very large tree, (16) a 
loop of rope was thrown around his neck, (17) and 
several knots were tied. 

Now the bandits had expected the old man to crv 
out in fear, (18) when about to be hanged, but his 


292 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


face was wreathed with a smile for had not the bandits, 
unconsciously, formed the magic circle when they tied 
the rope around his neck. Chow Coon became serious, 
(19) he placed his left hand beneath his chin, raised 
his head and mysteriously removed the securely tied 
rope from about his neck. 

The bandits were astounded, (20) for who but the 
Son of Heaven could perform such a miracle. (21) 
Chow Coon was given his freedom and safely returned 
to his Temple where, it is told, he spent the remain¬ 
ing years of his life in peace and happiness. 

the legend continues. When Chow Coon died and 
went to his Celestial Kingdom, he was rewarded by the 
Son of Heaven for his good deeds, and permitted to 
take his magic rope with him. (Z2) He spends many 
hours, (23) showing the rope to his thousands ot Ce¬ 
lestial Ancestors. (2^) He cuts the rope in two pieces, 
(23) ties the two pieces together, (2t>) and trims the 
knots closely. It is still said in some parts of China, 
when it snows, “Chow Coon is trimming his knots.” 
(27) We would witness a miracle to be remembered 
all the days of our life if today we could see Chow 
Coon, tie the two pieces of rope together, (28) pass 
his hand over the knot, and cause the two pieces to be¬ 
come one. (Throw rope into audience for examination.) 

As they say in China, Tie Schen. That means, 
thank you—good night. 

Presentation: ( 1 ) Take prepared rope from pocket 
and slowly untie the fake knot. 

(2) At this point you have opened the fake knot, 
the short piece of rope, so continue patter and tie it 
again. This action gives the effect that you have tied 
the ends of a straight piece of rope to form a circle. 


293 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


(3) Place the circle of rope over your head, fake 
knot behind neck and large loop over your shoulders, 
hanging down in front. 

(4) Take scissors from pocket. 

(3) Cut rope on the right hand side of adhesive 
tape and close as possible to the metal shell. Scissors 
back to pocket. 

(6) Both hands go behind neck and grasp rope 
lightly on either side of the fake knot. Lift rope over 
your head and bring arms out in front, arms outstretched 
and pointing toward audience. Slide hands apart so 
that you are now holding the ropes near the shells. 

(7) Release the end of the rope held in the right 
hand and the left hand holds the opposite end of rope. 
Figure 393. The first and second finger holding the rope 
above the shell and adhesive tape and the thumb and 
third finger holding below. 

(8) With scissors cut off the protruding end just 
above the shell. Cut as close as possible to shell. Scis¬ 
sors back to pocket. 

(9) Take the short piece, just cut off, in your 
right hand between thumb and index finger. 

(10) Wave the short piece of rope over the long 
piece. Use the short piece as if it was a magic wand. 

(11) We must now get rid of the shells and fake 
knot. Still holding the short piece of rope in the right 
hand, reach over and grasp rope by the shell and take 
it away from the left hand. Immediately turn back of 
left hand to audience. Bring rope over the back of left 
hand so that the shell touches the left palm. Grasp rope 


294 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


tightly with left thumb, Figure 394, and secretly re¬ 
move the shell which remains hidden in the right hand. 
The exposed red end is hidden in the left palm. Right 
hand wraps the rope around the left hand. Arriving at 
fake knot, grasp it in the right hand so that it cannot 
be seen by audience and as you continue to wrap the 
rope around left hand, the knot will easily slide toward 
the end of the rope. When you arrive at the end of 
the rope, fake knot and shell will come off into your 
right hand. As this happens, just place second red end 
of rope into the palm of the left hand which will con¬ 
ceal it from the audience. 

(12) Once again use short piece of rope as a magic 
wand. 

(13) Allow rope to uncoil and hang down from 
left hand showing that the rope has been restored. Both 
ends are red. 

(14) Place the short piece of rope, the fake knot 
and both shells into your right coat pocket. 

(13) Place the rope around your neck, the two 
red ends hanging down in front from over your 
shoulders. 

(16) This is a one rope version of the Strangle 
Tie, and is accomplished in three moves. In the first 
move, Figure 393, your right hand goes over the right 
rope and grasps the left rope, about six inches from the 
neck, between its thumb and index finger. The left 
hand goes over the left rope and grasps the right rope 
between its thumb and index finger, left hand below 
the right. In the second move, Figure 396, right hand 
moves to the right and draws the left rope in a small 
loop over and several inches across the left rope. In 


295 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 





the third move, Figure 397, the right and left hand 
move in unison. Loop held in right hand is drawn around 
to the back, at center of neck, and the left hand at the 
same time, holding right rope, moves up and over the 
head drawing the right rope around the neck. This 
leaves the rope, loosely held by a loop, behind the neck. 
The two red ends hang down in front. One end will be 
much shorter than the other. These three moves should 
be made smoothly and blend as one. 

(17) Tie the short end around the long end. Use 
several knots. 

( 1 8) Hold the long end up as if it were thrown 
over a tree limb. 

(19) Place left hand under chin with back of hand 
toward audience. Right hand goes up behind left hand 


296 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


and right index finger goes between the two loops 
around neck and up behind the top loop. Now turn 
right palm toward audience and, at the same time, twist 
a loop of rope around the index finger of right hand. 
Take hold of lower rope between thumb and index fin¬ 
ger. Now, by a strong pull on the loops, the rope comes 
free from your neck and is in two loops as if it had 
been fairly tied around your neck Pass rope from right 
to left hand and show to audience. Figure 398. 

(20) Stand with right hand holding right coat 
lapel and secretly secure small loop of rope in right 
hand. 

(21 ) Secretly holding fake loop in right hand, un¬ 
tie the knots in rope. This gives you an opportunity to 
secretly slip one end of the rope through the fake loop. 
Release rope from left hand. With back of right hand 
facing audience, thumb holding hidden fake loop, pull 
the rope with the left hand through the fake loop un¬ 
til the ends hang down even with each other. 

(22) With back of both hands facing audience, 
pass rope from right hand into the left. Hold rope be¬ 
tween the thumb and index finger of the left hand, f?ke 
loop extending above the left hand with long e^ds 
hanging downward toward floor, the thumb and index 
finger of the left hand concealing the junction between 
the fake loop and the length of rope. Figure 399. 

(23) Secure scissors 

(24) Cut through fake loop. Put scissors in pocket. 

(25) Right hand makes a loop in the right rope 
about 6 inches from left hand. Figure 400. Turn palm 
of right hand upward and put this loop over the two 
short ends in left hand. Grasp the two short ends be- 


297 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


tween the thumb and index finger of the right hand and 
pull the loop down with the left fingers, to about a Vi 
inch below the short piece. Again, as in Figure 399, the 
left thumb and index finger grasps the junction be¬ 
tween fake short piece and long rope. Right fingers 
tighten loop against short piece and it now looks like 
a fair knot. It is really a slip knot around the short piece 
of rope and can be shown to audience. These moves 
should also blend as one and should impress the audi¬ 
ence that you simply tied the two ends of the rope to¬ 
gether. 

(26) With scissors, cut the fake short piece into 
small bits and scatter them about. When you have cut 
away as much of the fake piece as possible, there will 
be one small piece remaining in the tightened loop. 
Grasp this short piece of rope with the tips of the scis¬ 
sors and pull it loose. Return scissors to pocket. You 
now have only a slip knot on the long rope. 

(27) Grasp one end of the rope in the left hand. 
Hold it high in the air. 

(28) Put right hand around the “knot” and with a 
little pressure by the fingers the loop will loosen and 
the knot disappear. 

EDDIE CLEVER’S TRIPLE CUT ROPE ROUTINE 

The effect, up to a certain point, is as usual. A rope 
is knotted to form a circle and a spectator cuts it. The 
cut ends are tied and one of the knots is selected by a 
spectator. This knot is untied. The knot in the center is 
cut away and the rope shown to be restored. 

It is again tied in a circle, cut once more and re¬ 
stored. The rope is then thrown to the audience. You 


298 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


perform some other trick. When this trick is finished, 
you look at the audience and say “There are still some 
persons out there who don’t believe I really cut that 
rope. I shall show you once more.” 

Walking into the audience you get the rope and 
drop it around your neck. Going back to the platform 
the rope is removed, the middle taken in the left hand 
and again it is cut and restored, and thrown back to 
the audience. 

Secret: At the start, the real ends of the rope are 
fastened together with adhesive tape and a short piece 
is knotted around the actual center of the rope. This 
preparation is the same as for Captain Jones’ Rope 
Trick described earlier in this chapter. 

The supposed middle of the rope is cut, near the 
tape, and the ends trimmed off to get rid of the tape. 

The newly cut ends are tied and a knot selected. 
Regardless of the choice made, the real knot is untied. 

The ends are cut away from the fake knot but the 
knot is not destroyed. As the right hand comes up it 
covers the fake knot but the impression is given that 
the knot is under the left hand. While all eyes watch 
the left hand, the right hand carries the fake knot to 
within about four inches of the end of rope. The rope 
is allowed to hang from the right hand and is shown 
to be restored. 

You are now ready to perform Grant’s Super Rope 
Trick, described earlier in this chapter, at the finish of 
which the rope is tossed to the audience. 

Now for the third cut. This is the L. W. Tug Of 
War method, described in Chapter Six, with a slightly 
different dressing. 


299 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


F. H. JEUDEVINE’S ROPE ROUTINE 

Open with the Encore Rope Trick. This was ex¬ 
plained in the present chapter. When finished, and us¬ 
ing the same length of rope, state that perhaps all were 
not paying attention so you will repeat the effect. 

Cut and restore it this time as you would the Cut 
And Restored Turban. Refer to The “Hindoo Rope 
Restoration or Bluey-Bluey’s Method, in Chapter Five. 

State that the audience still seems to be a bit skep¬ 
tical so it will be necessary for you to try again. Use 
U. F. Grant’s Sleight Of Hand Rope Trick routine which 
permits you to cut the rope two different ways. This 
was also explained in Chapter Five. 

The turban effect is again repeated, only this time 
I appear to cut off about a foot and tie from each end. 
You seem to have three lengths of rope tied together 
with two knots. Slide these knots off under cover of 
wrapping the rope around the left hand. This time you 
have apparently joined three pieces of rope back into 
one long length. 

For the final and best applause getter of all, hand 
the rope to an assistant. He turns his back and finds 
the exact center of the rope and holds on to it at that 
point. While this is being done, you obtain a short 
piece of rope from your left coat pocket. This short 
length is folded in half. 

As he gets the shears, you place the looped end of 
the long rope in your fisted left hand and draw the short 
piece into view. He cuts it, thinking he is separating 
the rope at the center which he has just located. 


300 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


If you use the Encore Rope, or any very soft rope, 
it is not necessary to tie the ends each time before re¬ 
storing as you may hold them at the finger tips and 
have assistant cut several times until no pieces are left. 

This may seem like a lot of “fussing” until you 
try it out yourself, but as each and every “cut” is so 
different it completely throws the wise ones off the 
trail. 

As you have cut and restored the rope each time 
in such a different manner, it does not become tire¬ 
some. 

Aside from the first method, the rope is totally un¬ 
prepared. There is no cement and no snaps, nothing 
but a piece of rope, a pair of sharp shears, and a bit of 
nerve. If you are a magician, you possess the last. 

THE BAKER TAKES A CUT 

Effect: A loaf of bread is displayed through which 
a 3 foot length of rope has been threaded. Figure 401. 



30 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The magician saws through the loaf until it is divided 
into two sections. Figure 402. The pieces of bread are 
separated, the cut ends of the rope being shown. Then 
the loaf is squared up and the rope is withdrawn re¬ 
stored and tossed to the audience. 

Secret: Three ropes are actually used. 

A 1 0 inch rope is inserted in the loaf at the center. 
See B in Figure 403. 



A 1 6 inch rope is threaded in one end of the loaf 
and out through the bottom, about half way between 
the center of the loaf and the end through which it 
entered. 

A thread is fastened to the end of this rope and 
goes down the hollow table leg. See A in Figure 403. 
This rope is drawn out of the end of the loaf for about 
1 foot. 

A 3 foot length of rope is inserted in the other end 
of the loaf but is not allowed to come within a couple 


302 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


of inches of the center. It is tucked into the loaf so that 
only I foot extends beyond the end. Figure 403. 

The thread is passed through the visible end of this 
rope so that it may be quickly and easily withdrawn 
when required. 

Presentation: Call attention to the loaf and the rope 
and, in so doing, lift it two or three inches from the 
table. Remember to leave sufficient slack in the thread 
to permit you to do this. 

Cut completely through the loaf and the 10 inch 
rope. Separate the halves of the loaf so that the cut ends 
of the short rope are visible. 

In preparing the loaf, it may be necessary to in¬ 
sert a cor pie of hat pins from the back and through 
this short rope at each side of the center of the loaf. 
This is to overcome the fact that the knife sometimes 
has a tendency to draw the 10 inch rope out of the 
bread, rather than cut it. 

Place the two pieces of bread back together. Hold 
them steady with the left hand as you grip the end of 
the 3 foot rope, and thread A, and pull slowly. 

As the 3 foot length is withdrawn from the loaf, 
the thread draws the 1 6 inch rope down the table leg. 

When the rope is fully withdrawn, and shown re¬ 
stored, the mere action of walking away from the table, 
in order to give the rope to a spectator, pulls the thread 
clear of the rope. 

THE L. W. GREAT DIVIDE 

Two blocks are introduced. Each is two and one- 
half inches square by four inches long. Through the 


303 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


center of each is bored a three-quarter-inch hole. A rope 
is threaded through the holes—necklace fashion. 1 he 
blocks are placed together on the table, the ends of the 
rope projecting. A sharp knife is pressed down between 
the blocks—the knife being held in the right hand. The 
left hand reaches down and picks up the two blocks, 
pressed together. This done, the knife is pushed all the 
way through, between the blocks, and comes out the 
bottom side. Apparently the rope must have been sev¬ 
ered. 

The blocks are replaced on the table. The performer 
grasps one projecting end of the rope and pulls it free 
from the blocks. Peculiarly enough, the other end comes 
along with it. The rope is restored! 

The blocks are unprepared. Not so with the rope. 
First it will be necessary to procure a quantity of the 
rope which has a core running through the center. The 
core is easily removable, and must be removed from a 
four-foot length of the rope. This piece of rope is then 
cut in two. The cut ends are dipped in paraffin and al¬ 
lowed to dry. This prevents their fraying. 

A bodkin is constructed of a two-foot length of 
stiff wire. To one end of this bodkin attach a piece of 
heavy black thread, four feet eight inches long. Run 
the thread through the two pieces of rope. Remove the 
bodkin. One end of the thread must be attached to one 
end of the rope. This may be done by tying or by af¬ 
fixing same in place by winding a small piece of ad¬ 
hesive tape around both the end of the rope and the 
thread. Figure 405. The other end of the thread hangs 
loose. See B in Figure 405. Thus the two pieces of rope 
may be drawn together on the thread and held in place 
by pressing the loose end of the thread against the end 


304 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


of the rope. The extra thread, which hangs down, will 
not be noticed. 



When the rope, thus prepared, is threaded through 
the blocks, the joint in the rope is made to come just at 
the point where the blocks meet. The knife that is 
pressed down between the blocks is sharp, except for 
about an inch of the blade. This portion of the knife 
has been thoroughly dulled. The downward pressure of 
the knife will merely cause the thread to be pushed 
down with it. See A in Figure 404. 

Finally, by pulling on the thread at the moment 
when the rope is withdrawn from the blocks, the two 
pieces of rope will be joined together. Need we remark 
that the rope cannot be passed for examination? 

THE GESS1NG-GORDON ROPE TRICK 

Effect: Two 20-inch ropes are held, one in each 
hand. Slowly the ends of the ropes slide together and 

& ■ <n z =^ T == ) 

4o5 



4o6 


305 





















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


meet. They are now displayed at the tips of the fingers 
to have joined themselves together into one rope. 

Secret: The ends of the ropes are first bound with 
white thread, to keep them from fraying. 

A strong black thread is fastened securely to the 
end of one rope, threaded lengthwise through the second 
and brought out an inch from the end of this second 
rope. 

A second thread is fastened securely to the end of 
this second rope, threaded lengthwise through the first 
for one inch and brought to the outside just this inch 
from the end of the first rope. 

The threads are 1 foot long and have heavy knots 
formed at their free ends to supply a ready grip for the 
fingers. See A-A in Figure 406. 

Presentation: The two ropes are held, one in each 
hand, with the prepared ends uppermost. The black 
threads, in front of your dark suit, are unnoticed. The 
knots, A-A, are gripped between the first fingers and 
thumbs and the remaining fingers curl around the ropes 
themselves. 

Now, retaining a firm grip on the knots, separate 
the hands slowly. Allow the ropes to slide over the 
curled second, third and little fingers. When the ends 
touch, drop the rope from your left hand, hold the un¬ 
prepared end of the other rope at the tips of the fingers 
of the right hand, display for a moment and then place 
aside. 

THE SLOW MOTION RESTORATION BY 
HARRY BJORKLUND 

Effect: A piece of rope, about two feet in length, 
is cut in half and the magician holds one half in each 


306 


ENCYCLOPEDIA of rope tricks 

hand in front of him. At his command the cut ends 
slowly curl upwards and join, the rope being displayed 
again in one piece. 

Required: 1 wo pieces of rope prepared with a 
thread, scissors and excelsior clip. 

Preparation: 1 ake a piece of soft rope two feet in 
length, cut it in half and from one halt take out trie 
core. 1 hread a length of black silk about three reet long 
through this piece, pass it through one end or ttie otner 
piece and fasten it with a knot on the outside, ruil the 
thread taut, bring the two pieces together at the cut 
ends, and attach an excelsior clip hook to the free end of 
the thread, f igure 407. Coil up the loose thread and 
insert it with the clip in the hollow end of the threaded 
piece, Figure 408. Pull out a small loop of the thread, 
Figure 408, at the point where the pieces join to allow 
for the insertion of the scissors. Lay the prepared rope 
on your table and put a small pair of scissors in your 
lower right hand vest pocket. 

Presentation: Pick up the rope by the prepared end 
with the right hand, show it hanging at full length, 
transfer it to the left hand, at the same time securing 
the clip, thrust your right hand into your vest pocket, 
attach the clip and bring out the scissors. Pull out a loop 
of the thread about three inches long, Figure 409, then 
apparently cut the rope at the joint and do it naturally, 
neither too quickly nor too slowly, being very careful 
not to cut the thread. Replace the scissors, then pull 
the two pieces apart, letting them hang down, one piece 
in each hand, separating the hands about 9 inches, Fig 
ure 41 0. 

Now by slowly raising and separating the hands 
the two lower ends of the pieces will be drawn together 


307 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


and join, Figure 411. Drop the left hand piece and show 
the rope restored, Figure 412. 



X7 




4og> 


Thread coiled 
around cup /aj 



THE MARVEL CUT AND RESTORED ROPE 


Effect: The performer holds a length of rope by 
the ends, Figure 415. A spectator cuts it in two at the 
center, Figure 416. The two cut ends are tied together, 
the knot is trimmed away, and the rope is restored. 


308 


















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Preparation: A 3-foot length of soft rope is used. 
A 6-inch piece of the same kind of rope is tied around 
it exactly 1 foot from one end, Figure 413. Scissors are 
in right hand coat pocket. 



This fake knot, and the foot of rope, are concealed 
in the right hand, Figure 414. The appearance to the 
audience is as in Figure 41 3. 

Presentation: Advance with the rope held as ex¬ 
plained which makes it appear as only 2 feet long. Spec¬ 
tator unmistakably cuts it, Figure 416, apparently at 
the very center. 

You now appear to tie the two cut ends together. 
What really happens is that the end of the 1 foot length 
is concealed and the fake knot is pulled into view, Fig- 


309 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


ure 417, and an extra knot tied in the ends of the short 
piece that forms it. 



This knot is grasped by the left hand and slowly 
drawn upwards. As the previously concealed portion of 
the rope appears, the 1 -foot length of rope is worked up 
into the right hand and palmed in place of the rope just 
brought to sight. Figure 41 8. 

Pull the 2-foot length completely free of the right 
hand which immediately goes to the right hand coat 
pocket and removes the scissors. Hie palmed piece of 
rope is left in the pocket, Figure 419. 

Two spectators each hold one end of the rope. You 
clip away the fake knot and show the rope restored, 
Figure 420. 


310 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


THE “J. M.” ROPE TRICK 

Effect: A 6-foot length of rope is held as in Fig¬ 
ure 423. A metal ring is threaded over one end of the 
rope and allowed to fall to the center. The rope is cut 
and the ring naturally falls to the floor which is ad¬ 
ditional proof the rope has actually been severed, Fig¬ 
ure 424. The two lengths of rope are now knotted to¬ 
gether at both ends. One knot is then cut away and 
the other dissolves so that the rope is once again in one 
piece and may be presented to some one as a souvenir. 

Preparation: It will be necessary for you to procure 
the following: 

Six feet of soft rope or heavy cord. 

A 1 2-inch length of the same rope, knotted at one 

end. 

A 6-inch length of the same rope with a knot at 
one end. 

Two small metal rings or one ring faked with a 

split. 

A spool of white thread and the usual pair of scis¬ 
sors. 

Place one metal ring on the long length of rope. 

Splice or tie both ends of the six foot length of rope 
together by placinc* the ends side by side and binding 
them tightly with the cotton thread, winding the thread 
around a number of times so as to make an invisible 
joint, at least one that will not be discerned at a short 
distance. 

Make a loop in the actual center of the rope op¬ 
posite to the two bound ends by tying a slip knot, Fig¬ 
ure 421. 


311 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Insert the 1 2-inch length of rope through this loop 
and pull it through so that the knot of the short length 
is up against the loop in the long rope, Figure 421. 





Clip the short 6-inch rope between the first and sec¬ 
ond fingers of the left hand and then hold the entire 
rope in this hand by the large loop as in Figure 422. The 
1 2-inch piece hangs over the arm as though one end of 
the rope. The ring already threaded on the rope is con¬ 
cealed in the palm of the same hand. Notice that quite 
a portion of the actual rope is hidden from the view 
of the audience by the left hand and sleeve, Figure 422. 
So prepared, you are ready. 


312 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Presentation: Face the audience with the left hand 
and arm held over the chest. 

With the right hand, grasp the rope with the 12- 
inch length on it and move the rope over the arm in a 
casual manner, always keeping the end hanging over 
the arm. Figure 423 shows what the appearance is to the 
audience. 

Take the metal ring and appear to place the ring 
on the rope over the end that hangs at the finger tips 
of the left hand. After the ring is placed on the rope, 
appear to pull it down slowly. Really leave it in the palm 
of the left hand while the other ring, actually threaded 
on the rope, is allowed to slide down to what appears 
to be the middle. Figure 423. 




426 


313 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Then you cut the rope, Figure 424. 

The ring drops to the floor and the rope appears 
to the spectators, as it hangs over the arm, to be two 
separate pieces of rope. 

Grasp, in the right hand, the rope (looped end) 
that hangs in the crook of the arm. Bring this end to¬ 
gether with the small end at the finger tips and hold all 
in the left hand. It appears that all you did was to bring 
the two pieces of rope together in the left hand. 

With both hands, crumple the short 6-inch length 
of rope into the right hand. Then untie the knot in the 
long 1 2-inch rope (all this taking a bit of time) and pull 
it half way through the loop. It now appears to be the 
ends of the actual rope, Figure 425. 

The right hand then palms the duplicate ring that 
is still concealed in the left hand and the short piece of 
rope and this ring are disposed of as the scissors are 
picked up. It is also possible to get rid of them by dis¬ 
posing of them in the pocket. 

Now tie the actual ends of the rope (where the cut 
was made) and allow the apparently already-tied ends 
to hang down. The rope now appears to be two lengths 
tied together. 

Clip or cut bits of the ends off the rope, first one 
end and then another. Completely cut away the knot 
from the actual ends. This disposes of any tell-tale trace 
of the thread binding. 

Cut away the false ends until nothing is left but 
the slip knot. 

Two spectators now hold the actual ends of the 
rope. You close your hand around the slip knot in the 
center and work it loose with your fingers. Remove your 
hand, reveal the knot to be gone and the rope restored. 


314 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


BURLING HULL’S “MIRACLE” ROPE 
RESTORATION 

Effect: The rope is thrown into the audience at the 
start in one straight solid piece. It is cut and tied to¬ 
gether by a spectator who tosses it back to the per¬ 
former who receives it in his bare hands that contain 
nothing else whatever. He now proceeds to immediately 
restore the rope to one straight length by causing the 

knot to VISIBLY DISSOLVE. 

Secret and Presentation: Always use a piece of 
rope about 6 to 7 feet long. Nothing but the one length 
is used. Cut the ends down to a sharp point and treat 
them with a good rope cement for about a l A inch. Ob¬ 
tain a pair of shears and you are ready. 

“I will take one of you right out of the audience 
and nominate him as the magician—and let him do the 
whole feat himself.” 

Select a lady near the front—or a man if preferred. 
A lady is more effective. “Here Madam, will you 
oblige?” 

Step back to your box or table and take out the 
piece of rope. Lay it right in her hands as in Figure 
427. The exact center is in the one or other of her hands 



315 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


and not right between them. This is so that when party 
cuts rope it will not be cut exactly in the center but to 
one side of the center. (While not essential to the trick 
it adds to the nicety of the effect.) Hand party the 
shears or give them to a second party and ask them to 
cut the rope. As they go to do so, say: Wait, I want 
to step over here several feet away so that there will 
be no suspicion that I influence you in any way. Now 
cut.” 

Another way is to hand party one end of the rope 
and ask him to hold it high in the left hand, Figure 



428. Place the shears in his right hand, pick up the 
other or lower end of the rope in your finger tips and 
tell the party to cut anywhere. This is to prevent the 
lower portion from falling to the floor after cutting and 
to prevent the cemented end from gathering dirt from 
the floor to discolor it. 

Have the party hold up the two pieces and show 
them to the audience, Figure 429. Show there are two 
separate pieces and be sure that the two cut ends are 
at the upper end. 


316 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Tell party to cross the two cut ends and tie them 
together in a strong knot. Watch here to see that he 
understands that he is to cross the pieces and tie them, 
not lay the two together parallel and tie a knot around 
them. Have the party tie a clean square knot, not too 
tightly nor too loosely. 



The knot will be at one side of the center of the 
rope. 

Take the shears and trim the ends off just as close 
into the knot as you possibly can, Figure 430. This is 
important to the working. Force the shears right into 
the knot and get the ends off close into the knot. 

You may let the spectator cut them after you have 
the trick down fine. Simply see that he cuts the ends 
close enough to the knot. For the first few performances 
you had better do the cutting yourself and be safe. 

Then show your hands, palms toward audience, 
absolutely empty and say, “I will now take the rope in 
my bare hands, for the first time.’’ 

Take it in left hand by the end “A” which is near¬ 
est the knot, Figure 431. 

With right hand take hold of knot “J ”, Figure 432. 


317 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




Start winding rope, as in Figure 432, slowly and 
leisurely around the spread out fingers of the left hand. 
Spread the fingers wide so as to keep the loops loose. 

“I am going to make a number of magic circles in 
order to create as much magic power as possible.’’ 

Turn gradually to the right so that the left side is 
toward the audience. Conceal the left palm. 

By this time you have reached the knot which must 
come inside of the left hand, Figure 433. If necessary, 
make the coil a little looser or tighter as needed to make 
the knot land inside the left hand. 

Continue a couple of coils more until you have 
reached a distance from the approaching end which is 


318 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


about the same distance as the knot is to the other 
end. Read this over and get it clear. It is for this that 
we suggested that you have the rope cut between the 
center and one end, rather than in the exact center. 

Having reached this point, bend your second fin¬ 
ger inward and, as the rope comes up past it on the in¬ 
side of left hand (in the winding of the next coil), just 
give the rope a turn around the left second finger, Fig¬ 
ure 434. 

Stand with left side toward audience while doing 
the winding, Figure 435, so that no one can see the 



435 



436 


437 



438 



bending of this finger. The turn around the finger is 
taken in one-fourth of a second, as the right hand passes 
behind left, so there is no fear of it showing. Right 
hand continues on right up over the top of left hand as 
formerly in winding all the other coils. 


319 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


As you come to the end, take it in the finger tips 
and bring it up inside the left palm and place it against 
the other end where it will stick instantly and firmly 
because of the cement, Figure 436. 

Take care to lap just the sloping points of the ends 
so that they will make a neat and invisible join. Do not 
look at your hands too much while doing this. Just lo¬ 
cate the join and look away while you press together 
and roll into a n^at connection. 

You may move these ends over toward left finger¬ 
tips as soon as lightly joined. Then take the right hand 
away and let the left fingers complete the pressure and 
rolling “movement’’ in order to make a neat join. 

Now to kill a moment or two. “With your permis¬ 
sion I will just tighten your knot a little.’’ 

But you really take the loop which is around the 
left second finger, Figure 437, slip it off, turn it down¬ 
ward on itself, Figure 438, seize the portion of the rope 



marked “X” through the loop, Figure 438, and pull it 
it right through the loop, Figure 439. Pull it tight. Ad- 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


just it by drawing upward so it assumes the appearance 
of a regular knot, not the loop or slip knot that it is. 

“That is a pretty tight knot at that, Madam.” 

Bring the knot up so it shows over the top of the 
left hand, Figure 440 and Figure 441, and leave it 
there. Everyone will take it to be the knot tied by the 
spectator. 

In the meantime you have brought your right hand 
inside the left and rolled the other real knot “J” be¬ 
tween your fingers so that it opens. Owing to the fact 
that the ends were trimmed off so far down into the 
knot, there is nothing to hold it. Figure 442 and Fig¬ 
ure 443. 




Take hold of the coils at the back of the left hand. 
Draw them off and hold them between the two hands, 
Figure 444, with fingers holding opposite sides of coils. 


321 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


This keeps the hands together and enables you to 
do anything necessary, such as work the knot open (in 
case you failed to do it cleanly the first time), or 
straighten out the curved ends which have just come 
from the knot so they will not be revealed as these ends, 
or to tighten or adjust the fake knot “X”, in case you 
did not get it tight the first time. When you are new at 
the trick, you may need this little cover and leeway to 
clean up any slips made. 

To provide time, you continue, “Now Madam, se¬ 
lect two nice gentlemen from the audience for your 
committee to hold the rope.” 

When party indicates two persons, or you select 
them for her, have one step up and take one end of the 
rope. Or you may dispense with that and hand one end 
to the lady and hold the other end yourself. 

As party comes forward, take end of the rope near¬ 
est knot “X” and, letting part of rope uncoil from left 
hand, hand it to him, Figure 445. 

Take hold of the rope yourself on the other side of 
the knot but safely in front of the secret join “A” and 
“B“. Take a turn of rope around your fingers so that 
the rope will not slip past when you pull hard. 

Take party s other hand and guide it over the knot, 
Figure 446, telling him to recite, “Alla Oom-Mahalla- 
O-La-La-.” 

Say, Watch —watch the knot. It is getting smaller 
and smaller.” 

Do not pull it out too soon as everyone should be 
watching the knot for a few seconds so that they may 
all see it visibly dissolve and the rope join whole again 
in full view. Figure 447. 


322 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



The harder the pull required to get the slip knot to 
come out, the more effective. This proves the great 
strength of the “restored” rope. Therefore, make your 
slip knot “X” as tight as you can and, when pulling at 
the climax in order to make it come out, pretend to be 
pulling harder than you are in order to increase the ef¬ 
fectiveness. 

Here is illustrated a masterly piece of misdirection. 
An extra fake knot is provided on the rope for the spec¬ 
tators to see and watch. They presume it to be the origi¬ 
nal knot tied on the rope by the spectator who cut it. 
Naturally that was the ONLY knot as the real knot has 
been easily pulled open and is no more. They naturally 
examine the rope at the point where the knot was, 
where there is nothing to see. When the rope is being 
restored by PULLING, the audience sees the full length 
of the rope with the one knot (the same one, as they 
suppose) and they naturally concentrate their attention 
on that point, which they are SURE must be the place 
where the rope was cut apart and retied. When this is 


323 










ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


pulled so hard, the great strength of the rope proves to 
them that there cannot be any fake joints under such 
conditions. Then the knot dissolves and the rope is 
whole in one length again—well, a real miracle has ap¬ 
parently been accomplished, right before their eyes. 

There is nothing left for them to pin a suspicion 
on, They are completely lost. 



Immediately hold the rope up, Figure 448, and 
walk right to the front of stage or platform and show 
it to the audience—DRAMATICALLY—in one straight 
piece again. 

ALTERNATIVE CONCLUSION. Where it is de¬ 
sired to dispense with anyone holding the rope, in order 
to speed up the trick, simply hold the rope yourself on 
either side of the knot, Figure 449. Ask everyone to 
watch closely, draw the ends apart very slowly until 
the knot dissolves and leaves the rope in one straight 
length again. Immediately show the rope all around 
from end to end. Toss it aside and proceed with the next 
trick. 

PRESENTING THE ROPE TO THE AUDIENCE. 

“I find that many of you were so attentive that I am 


324 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


going to present a souvenir of this rare Indian Rope to 
as many of you as possible. It is a sure preventative for 
all kinds of separations and divorces, etc.’* 

Here is how Mr. Hull does just that. Picking up 
the shears, he slips a blade under as many strands as he 
thinks he can cut through at one clip, Figure 450. He 



also nips the place where the ends were joined, indi¬ 
cated by “M”, under the blades and snips it off the 
rope. To get this in position for the cut, he simply 
(when taking hold of the rope to wind it about his left 
hand) took hold of it at that point (the secret join) 
and thus it was doubled over as he wound it around. 

Another method he sometimes uses is to cut several 
strands through, Figure 45 1, simply seeing that he cuts 
above the secret join with the first cut. Then he makes 
another cut to clip through the rest of the strands and 
simply catches the end containing the join in the shears 
again. Cutting through the rope (with the others), the 
secret join is cut right off in a small bit, Figure 451, 

He then takes the shears in his left hand and lifts 
the short pieces away in the right hand, Figure 452, 
holding them up high to attract attention to the hand 
and the pieces, and as he passes his table on the way 


325 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


forward, he deposits the shears on the table along with 
the small bit, under or behind the shears. (Or behind a 
handkerchief lying on the table.) 



454 


For Magicians’ Clubs he uses an even more subtle 
move. 

Here they are looking for the slightest get-away— 
even between the fingers. Mr. Hull satisfied them by 
handling everything with the finger tips only. We give 
you his secret here. 

The shears are coated on the left side at the cross¬ 
piece with a thin coat of cement. Now when he has 
clipped off the last bit and cut through the strands, his 
right hand passes over the little bit of rope, in the act of 
cutting the strands, and the left thumb places the bit 
against the coated side of the scissors. 

And because the bit of rope is also coated with the 
same cement, it naturally sticks right onto the shears. 

His right thumb, drawn out of the shears, now 
presses on the piece and adjusts it to a neat parallel 


326 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


position, Figure 453. Then the left hand comes over 
(palm empty, fingers wide apart), and takes the shears 
by the extreme point with only the tips of the finger 
and thumb—and drops the shears down on the table. 

Nothing could be cleaner. The bit was carried away 
stuck on behind the blade of the shears and entirely in¬ 
visible from the front, Figure 454. 


“CUT YOURSELF A PIECE OF ROPE” 

This is a sure-fire routine employing a newly per¬ 
fected method, obviating the use of metal snaps, thus 
permitting the use of any size woven clothes line, sash 
cord, wrapping twine, tape or ribbons, and was devel¬ 
oped by the late Caryl S. Fleming. 

A complete novel routine is explained in which a 
spectator examines, handles and actually cuts the rope, 
emulating the magician in a “Do As I Do” interlude, but 
despite his efforts, attains different results, leading to a 
climax in which the spectator actually cuts the ma¬ 
gician’s rope at any chosen place and a final restoration. 

Two routines are given herewith. In general effect, 
they are naturally quite similar, both employ the same 
simple sleight, the same general basic preparation. 

Preparation: The special adhesive—FLEMING’S 
LIQUID ROPE GIMMIC—supplied with the effect is 
water-proof, non-poisonous, transparent, stainless, non- 
inflammable and instantaneous in working. 

It will remain flexible and ready for instant use for 
two or three weeks after applying and the ends once 
used may be renewed by a single thin application over 
the old surface. 


327 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Its principal active adhesive ingredient is similar in 
character to an expensive chemical compound used in 
dentistry and is not intended nor guaranteed for use on 
metal as some alloys may set up a chemical reaction and 
consequent discoloration 

If the cement becomes too thidk it may be thinned 
by adding a few drops of either Chloroform (C. P.) or 
Carbon Tetrachloride (C. P.). 

It is not a common commercial rubber cement. 
Tests of over twenty popular makes gave very unsatis¬ 
factory results which did not compare with LIQUID 
ROPE GIMMIC. 

Inasmuch as rope tricks seem to be the current 
vogue, instructions will be given therefor, but it is un¬ 
derstood that the application is relatively the same no 
matter whether the effect is performed with rope, twine, 
tape or ribbon. 

With a sharp knife, or better still, a single edge 
safety razor blade—cut the ends of the rope where the 
Liquid Rope Gimmic is to be applied on a long diagonal 
so that as much surface presents itself as possible. This 
naturally gives a greater effective area for the adhesive 
to work and thus insures against possible failure. In 
preparing two surfaces that are later to be brought to¬ 
gether it is wise to loop the rope around so that the two 
desired places are parallel and a single synchronous cut 
made across both sections so that the diagonal angles 
match exactly. 

Apply the Liquid Rope Gimmic with a clean, flat, 
wooden toothpick sparingly and allow about ten min¬ 
utes for drying in between coats. Two or three coats 
should be applied at first to the raw surfaces so as to 


328 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


thoroughly impregnate the porous material, and the pre¬ 
pared ends kept apart until time for actual use. For 
tape or ribbon, merely coat from one-quarter to one- 
half inch of the surface to be joined for an overlapping 
joint. 

Be sure the hands are clean and that the treated 
surfaces do not come into contact with dust or dirt as it 
will pick up and cause a telltale discoloration. 

Sleight: Only one sleight is employed and this of 
a simple character. The one described in Prof. Hoff¬ 
man’s “Modern Magic,” Chapter XVI, first effect—- 
“The Cut And Restored String”—is excellent (read 
“The ‘Hindoo* Rope Restoration” Chapter 5 and refer 
to Figures 166 and 167) but for the benefit of those 
few who may not possess this most valuable work I 
give here my favorite method of working same. 

The two ends of the rope are held between the first 
and second fingers of the left hand so that they pro¬ 
trude toward the audience from the back of the hand 
and the loop falls down from the palm toward the per- 
former. 

Right h^nd takes the center of the loop, brings it 
nr> to the palm and lavs it across the section next to the 
finger joint—left thumb is brought down upon this 
cross and the right hand, as if in a continuous move¬ 
ment, grasps the single piece below the cross and car¬ 
ries it up above the left hand into view while the left 
hand now fully closes to hide the actual center which 
is still in place and covered by the left thumb. This loop, 
or false center, is the one that is cut and, of course, is 
really close to one end, instead of as it appears to be, in 
the middle. 


329 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Note: Instead ©f the special soft or unsized rope, 
it has been found that the common cheap starch-filled 
clothes line procurable in any Five and Ten or hardware 
store is far better to be used owing to the fact that the 
filler tends to bind the prepared ends together in a more 
compact form and affords a more flat even surface or 
face which gives a smoother joint. No. 7 rope is an ex¬ 
cellent size for convenience in handling and visibility. 

ROUTINE NO. 1 : Employs three separate pieces 
of rope of equal length (would suggest each to be eight 
or nine feet long) ; two are unprepared and the third 
has the diagonal cuts on each end and two or three 
coats of LIQUID ROPE GIMMIC applied as per di¬ 
rections. 

The performer displays three pieces of rope and 
requests the spectator to select any one of them. If the 
spectator selects the prepared rope, the performer then 
places it on his table for later use and hands the re¬ 
maining two ropes to the spectator asking him to re¬ 
tain the one of his choice and to return the other to 
the performer. 

However, if the spectator selects one of the unpre¬ 
pared ropes, this is laid aside for the moment and the 
spectator now asked to select a second one. 

If this time he selects another unprepared rope, the 
performer places the remaining piece of prepared rope 
on his table for later use and gives the spectator his 
choice of the two ropes thus remaining (the first and 
last), or if for a second choice the spectator determines 
upon the prepared rope, the magician places this aside 
and gives the spectator his choice of the two unprepared 
ropes. 


330 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


In other words the magician forces the use of the 
two unprepared ropes for the first part of the effect and 
retains the prepared rope for the finale. 

Next the magician loans the spectator a pair of 
scissors and says, “Now we are both going to perform 
the same trick and I am going to instruct you step by 
step—all you have to do is ‘Do As I Do’.” 

“First you will take the two ends of the rope and 
hold them between the fingers of your left hand— 
thus” performer holds his rope ends as described in the 
paragraph under the heading of “Sleight” and shows 
same to the spectator. 

“Next, with your right hand, pick up the center of 
the rope which is hanging down and bring it up—so.” 
The spectator will naturally bring the actual center up 
and close his fist on it, while the performer apparently 
does likewise, but instead brings up the false center as 
described. 

“Now, take your scissors and cut the loop you have 
thus formed right in the middle and then loan me the 
scissors.” Spectator cuts his rope and hands the scissors 
to the performer who cuts his loop and then lays the 
scissors down on his table. 

“Now, please tie any two of the four ends to¬ 
gether while 1 do the same—in a double knot.” Per¬ 
former naturally ties the ends of his false loop around 
the actual center of the rope and drops the two loose 
ends. 

Spectator follows suit and drops the two loose ends 
of his rope and stretches it to pull the knot tight, the 
same as the performer. 


331 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


“Kindly take your ropes by one end and wrap them 
around your fist the same as I do.” 

Both engage in the same action, but the performer 
secretly, under cover of his right hand, draws the fake 
knot clear of the rope and palms it in his closed right 
fist. 

‘‘Well, sir, you have followed directions intelli¬ 
gently and we are at present quite equal, but now we 
are going to have a unique little race. At the count of 
three we shall both see how fast we can remove the 
knot from our rope. Are you ready? One, two-three.” 

The spectator will naturally unroll his rope and 
struggle to untie his knot while the performer simply 
holds fast to one end and drops his single piece of rope 
toward the floor. 

Looking at the spectator with his two separate 
pieces of rope, the performer remarks, ‘‘Something 
seems to have gone wrong for you have two pieces of 
rope and 1 have mine restored to a single strand. Too 
bad, but I’ll present you with my knot as a sort of con¬ 
solation prize.” 

Performer opens his right hand and extends the 
knot concealed therein to the spectator. Takes both the 
spectator’s rope and offers his own restored rope for 
examination. When the fact is established that the rope 
is actually in one piece to the satisfaction of the specta¬ 
tor, the performer collects and rolls all the ropes into a 
ball and disposes of them on his table and picks up the 
prepared length of rope and again speaks to the spec¬ 
tator. 

‘‘I suppose you feel that everything we just did was 
not exactly to your satisfaction—that is to say, there is 


332 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


some doubt in your mind as to whether I actually cut 
my rope or not, isn’t there? And yet we both followed 
identical actions throughout, didn’t we)” 

’Well, maybe you are right and maybe you are 
wrong—but—would you feel any better about it if 1 
held the two ends of this rope wide apart—so—and per¬ 
mitted you to cut it in any place you cared to?” 

Spectator decides upon some place on the rope and 
upon request of the performer closes the scissors on it 
and lets the cut ends fall free. 

Performer, holding the two pieces of rope with his 
hands well apart so as to prove unmistakably that it is 
cut in two separate pieces, speaks: “Inasmuch as we 
are now finished with the scissors, will you kindly re¬ 
turn them to the table?” 

Performer turns to indicate the table, brings his 
hands together, places the two prepared faces into posi¬ 
tion opposite each other and gives them a tight squeeze, 
and as he faces the spectator who now looks up, stretches 
his restored, single piece of rope between his hands, 
gives it a little pull to demonstrate that it is again in 
one piece, throws it off stage or on to his table and 
ushers the spectator to the runway, thanking him for his 
kind assistance and assuring him that there is still much 
in the oft repeated saying that “The more you watch a 
magician—the less you sometimes see.” 

ROUTINE NO. 2: In theory and basic dramatic 
progression this second routine is substantially the same 
as the foregoing but has a few twists that may appeal 
to some. 

The performer approaches the spectator with a 
single piece of rope about sixteen or eighteen feet long 
doubled in half. 


333 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


This rope has been prepared by treating a diagonal 
slice on one end with the Liquid Rope Gimmic and an¬ 
other diagonal cemented joint about eight or nine inches 
back from the center of the long double strand toward 
the prepared end. 

The rope is displayed to the spectator and he is 
then requested to cut same into two equal lengths at 
the loop in the exact center as presented to him by the 
performer. This results in an eight or nine-foot length 
for each. 

Now the performer forces a choice of the ropes so 
that the spectator will have the unprepared piece while 
the performer retains the prepared one. 

The same general progression and speeches are em¬ 
ployed as per Routine No. 1 except that the performer 
must be careful to place the end of his rope that has 
the cemented joint between his first and second fingers 
closest to his knuckled joint so that when he brings up 
his false center loop this joint will be at the middle of 
same. 

Two pairs of scissors can be used here, a sharp pair 
for the spectator and a duplicate for the performer, 
which has been prepared by dulling a one-inch section of 
both blades close to the center so that when the rope is 
placed therein the scissors will not actually cut but 
merely grab so that the cement joint can be pulled apart 
in simulation of a cutting movement. 

Or, some comedy may be injected by giving the 
spectator the sharp scissors as before and the performer 
picking up a huge hunting knife which has been dulled 
on the portion of the edge close to the handle. 

After the “Do As I Do” cutting episode the action 
leaves the spectator, as before, with two short pieces 


334 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


knotted together and the performer a piece shorter by 
the length of the loop he severed at the cemented joint 
and the two ends both carrying the diagonal treated cuts. 

Naturally, the performer discards his knot and the 
spectator s pieces of rope and proceeds the same as in 
the first routine with his own remaining piece of rope 
to the same climax. 

So now, “Cut Yourself A Piece Of Rope”—and I 
hope you like it. 

L. W. DOUBLE RESTORATION 

We found that the softer, woven, types of rope 
dyed very well, looked highly effective and seemed 
most suitable for magical purposes. In the course of ex¬ 
perimentation, we evolved the following: 

The performer introduces three lengths of rope, 
each of a different color—red, white and green. These 
ropes are gathered up in the center and the three loops 
apparently thus formed are cut. Indeed, to show that 
the cut was genuine, the performer removes the white 
rope entirely and shows, to the satisfaction of everyone, 
that it is truly severed in the center. 

The white pieces are tossed aside. An incantation 
is uttered over the red and green ropes. It is commanded 
that they retake their original form. Slowly the hand 
that has apparently been holding the cut centers is 
opened. The performer’s command is found to have 
been obeyed. The ropes are restored. 

If you are sufficiently interested to attempt the 
performance of the experiment, hie yourself to the 
nearest store and purchase half a dozen hanks of woven 


335 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


clothes line. Four of these hanks are cut into six-foot 
lengths. The other two hanks are cut into six-foot, four- 
inch lengths. We recommend the wholesale purchasing 
and cutting for soon we will send you on your way to 
the dyer’s and he will charge you but little more for all 
the rope above mentioned than he would for but one- 
sixth of the amount. 

The six-foot, four-inch lengths, we shall have dyed 
as follows: Four inches in the center is dyed red. The 
four inches immediately adjoining, on either, but not 
both, side, is dyed green. The rest of the rope is left 
white. Figure 455. 



456 


Half of the six-foot lengths are dyed green; the 
other half red. 

Now, loop up the six-foot, four-inch, rope at the 
center so as to form three loops, one green, one red, and 
one white. A thread tied around these loops will serve 
to keep them in place until it is necessary to make use 
of the rope. Figure 456. 

Lay this rope, thus prepared, over the table. A red 
and a green rope are laid beside it. 

Pick up the ropes with the left hand and lay them 
on the right hand in the following order: Looped rope 
first (loop being concealed by the right fingers which 


336 










ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


are slightly cupped), then the green, finally the red. 
Show the ropes without exposing the loops. 


457 


With the left hand, gather up the ends of the ropes. 
The right hand aparently grasps the center of the ropes. 
Actually it does grasp the centers, but it is the loops 
that are allowed to come into view above the right fist. 
The left hand, having facilitated this move by pulling 
the ropes taut, comes up to aid in pulling the ropes into 
view. 

It is these loops which are cut. The reader will 
readily follow that in so doing, one of the ropes is ac¬ 
tually cut. The colored ends are completely trimmed 
away leaving in the performer s hands the red rope, the 
green rope and the severed white rope. The white rope 
is pulled free of the hand and tossed to the floor. 

It but remains, now, to open the hand and show 
that a restoration of the other ropes has been effected. 

THE L. W. ZENITH ROPE RESTORATION 

An impromptu version of the feat was described in 
Chapter 5. 

In this method a length of rope about two yards 
long is used. The ends are tied. A spectator determines 
the center of the resulting loop—a procedure which in- 



337 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

cidentally gives him the opportunity of examining this 
portion of the rope. A cut is made at this point, and the 
spectator examines and knots the ends, the rope being 
thus apparently divided into two equal portions. Ihe 
performer now takes the rope and cuts the double cen¬ 
ter of the loop, giving apparently—four pieces of equal 
length. He now has eight ends, as he shows. All the 
ends are trimmed away, when suddenly the performer 
separates his hands, and is seen to be holding between 
them the rope in a single length, fully restored! It may 
be examined! 

Use soft woven rope. Cement the ends together. 
This gives an endless loop. Take an extra piece of rope, 
six inches long, and place it about the rope, at the point 
where the ends are cemented, in such a manner that it 
will appear to be the two ends, the join being hidden 
by the left hand Come forward with the rope thus held, 
and calling attention to it, appear to tie the two ends 
together. Actually tie the extra piece about the rope, 
passing the ends twice about each other, instead of once 
as usual, so that the resultant knot will appear to be a 
double knot. This knot will slide freely on the rope. 

Have a spectator come forward to assist, and ask 
him to locate the precise center of the rope. Without 
calling attention to the fact, this demonstrates that there 
is no fake join in the center of the rope, puzzling those 
that may have heard of that method. Now apparently 
the left hand takes the rope by the center—actually it 
secretly slides the knot down to the center, right hand 
retaining the cemented ends. Left hand now brings up 
center of loop and places that portion in right hand, 
keeping fact that knot is on it concealed, apparently to 
leave left hand free to pick up scissors to hand to spec- 


338 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

tator for examination. Right hand now drops center of 
loop, but as the knot is on that portion, it appears the 
ends of rope have been dropped and the center retained. 

Hie spectator is invited to hold the “knotted ends.’ 
See that he holds the knot tightly with his hand, giving 
him no opportunity of investigating it. Place supposed 
center of loop in left hand, but instead of simply hold¬ 
ing it spread,, double over end of loop and grip with 
thumb, as in Figure 458. Taking scissors in right hand, 
apparently cut through loop, but actually cutting in an 
upward direction to give the illusion of a simple cut, 
you cut through double rope at point marked on Fig¬ 
ure 458. 



This leaves you, unknown to anyone, with a small 
double loop of rope thumb-palmed in left hand. It is 
instantly concealed by passing the scissors to the same 
hand. 

Have the two ends of rope tied by the spectator. 
As the cemented ends have been cut off, he may of 
course examine ends. Call attention to the fact that the 
rope is divided into two equal parts. 


339 
















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


lake back rope, holding scissors in right hand 
again, and place center of double rope in left hand, ap¬ 
parently pulling double loop into view, this position, 
after the next cut is made, appears to tne spectators 
as shown in Figure 459. The actual state of atrairs is 
shown in Figure 460. It is a small extra loop tnat is 
brought into view above hand. 

Call attention to the fact that if the double rope is 
cut at a point equi-distant from the knots, the rope will 
be divided into four equal pieces. Apparently so cut it, 
actually cutting the small loop. Point out that you now 
have eight ends to the rope. Figure 459. Bring up the 
two knots and hold them also in the left hand, so that 
all eight ends project above the left hand, and say that 
you will trim off all the ends. Cut away the fake piece 
entirely. Cut away the extra piece which, tied about the 
rope, makes a fake knot. (Make sure that you know 
which is the fake knot!) Cut off the real knot entirely, 
as this is more effective than untying it. Put down the 
scissors. Apparently you are hdlding four unjoined 
pieces of rope. Catching an end in each hand, separate 
the hands; you have a single length of rope stretched 
between them, and it may be examined! 


THE “MAXAM” TRIPLE CUT ROPE TRICK 

Here is a rope trick in which the rope is cut and re¬ 
stored three times. The rope is ACTUALLY cut into 
TWO pieces—the pieces held far apart and yet the rope 
is restored to one piece and immediately given for ex¬ 
amination. 

Effect: A straight rope is shown. It has two knots 
of red twine tied eight inches apart, on each side of the 


340 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


center. The rope is doubled at one section of red twine, 
and loop containing knot is cut off and thrown out. 
This loop is positively cut out of the original rope. Pull¬ 
ing on one piece of rope, one short cut end is drawn 
into the hand. A pull on the other half draws the other 
short cut end down beside it. Without any further ac¬ 
tion, the rope is revealed restored and may be pulled 
upon to prove it! Absolutely nothing has been secretly 
removed from the rope 

The other section of red twine is cut off, cut ends 
drawn down into the hand as before, and again the rope 
is instantly restored. 

NOW FOR THE CLIMAX. A loop is formed at 
the center and cut off. The skeptic’s doubts are quelled 
as the two SEPARATE cut pieces are taken far apart, 
actually cut entirely in two; not tied at one end, etc. 
Two ends are now tied together by a square knot, and 
the left hand grasps the knot and rubs it along the rope 

BLENDING THE TWO ROPES INTO ONE, as the 

knot vanishes. There is no exchange of the rope, as 
the same rope that is cut three times is the one restored 

and THROWN OUT FOR EXAMINATION! 

SPECIAL ROPE: Winston Freer has originated a 
specially constructed rope that makes this routine possi¬ 
ble. It appears to be a little over three feet long but is 
actually over six feet in length. Refer to Figure 461. 
Careful examination will reveal that the rope is actually 
doubled back on itself. Both ends are actually at one 
end. What appears to the audience to be the second end 
of the rope is actually its center. See A in Figure 461. 

Two slits are made in the outer, sheath-like half of 
the rope. These tiny slits are about three inches to each 


34 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


side of the apparent center. A piece of red twine is 
passed through one of the slits, tied around that portion 
of rope within the sheath, the ends passed around the 
sheath itself and tied with a bow-knot. The same thing 
is done at the second slit with another piece of twine. 
The knots conceal the slits. Figure 461. 



PRESENTATION: Place a fan in your pocket, or 
near a well or other place of concealment on your stand. 
Toss the rope to an elderly person at your LETT for 
examination. Take it back, and hold it by the ends of 
one of the red-bow strings, making certain that these 
strings rise directly from the bows, and that neither 
passes under the rope on the way to your fingers. Dou- 


342 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

ble the rope sharply at this bow, and as you hold back 
the sheath, or outer casing of the rope, with the left 
fingers pull up the strings with the right hand, pulling 
first on the one that seems to “give’* first and then on 
the other. First the bow will untie, then the strings will 
release from around the rope, and finally they will draw 
the core through the slit in the sheath of the rope, ex- 
posing a duplicate loop to be cut off. Cut off this core¬ 
loop with the string on it, and throw it out to your right. 
Now for a beautiful move that is possible only in this 
method. 

Holding the ropes with the long ends hanging 
down, and with the short cut ends showing above the 
left fingers, pull down on first one long rope and then 
the other VISIBLY drawing each of the short ends in 
turn down into the finger-grip, actually into the sheath 
of the rope itself. Stop when the ends are just flush 
with the opening of the sheath. Use the fan to cause the 
restoration and instantly shake out the rope and show 
it restored. You have absolutely nothing to dispose of. 

Now, repeat this using the other string in the same 
way. One short end will not draw down this time, how¬ 
ever, as it was severed from the rest of the core by the 
first cut. You merely cut that short end off flush with 
the opening in the sheath, draw the other end beside it, 
fan, and again show the rope instantly restored. Pull 
hard on it now to prove this. 

SUPER FINALE: All this merely leads up to the 
final ACTUAL CUT and complete separation of the 
rope. Trim away all hollow parts of the rope. Hold the 
complete half of the rope in the left hand, END A 
DOWN; the waste piece of rope in the right hand. Tie 


343 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


the two pieces of rope together with this knot. Refer 

to Figures 462, 463, 464, and 465. 

With this knot, you get the waste piece tied around 
a loop near the upper end of the complete half, so that, 
by pulling slightly on the complete half you will release 
the knot and can palm off the knot and the waste rope. 
These you dispose of as you go for the fan to ‘fan in 
the last restoration as you did the first two. 

TO RESTORE THE ROPE to its original length, 
grasp the core at the cut end of the complete half with 
the right fingers, and with the left hand still pretending 
to hold the knot, you reach up and skin the sheath back 
under the pretext of “blending the rope together by 
rubbing the knot along them.” Skin the sheath back in 
one motion extending the whole length of the rope with 
the rope pointing endwise at the audience. This will 
stretch the rope to its original length. 

After pulling on it you toss it out to those at your 
EXTREME RIGHT, so that the first examiner may not 
have the chance to notice the fact that the rope, while 
substantially the same in appearance as at first, now 
“feels different” and is softer, though being the same 
rope! 

PATTER STORY: “The Hindu Mystic knows how 
to weave the cut ends of a rope back together by a mere 
touch of his fingers, a feat that has been absolutely 
baffling to western devotees of the Magic Art. Recent 
developments, however, enable me to perform that feat 
in a way peculiar to the Hindu. He uses a rope of this 
sort (toss out), and he cuts it while the identifying 
markers are in view. Besides his ceremonial knife or 
scissors, he uses a fan, of which I have recently become 


344 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

the custodian. (Show fan; replace it in your pocket or 
on the table, and take the rope back.) 

Permit me to cut off the markers as I once saw an 
old Yogi do! You may have it as a souvenir of the 
strangest mystery your eyes have ever witnessed! Toss 
out cut piece with string tied on it. And now came an 
odd ceremony. (Pull ropes down, and fan them.) Sud¬ 
denly, to our amazement, that rope became restored in 
one, unbreakable piece! (Pull hard to prove this, and to 
keep rope moving.) 

We pleaded with the old fellow to do it again for 
us, and in return for a couple of rupees tossed into his 
collection basket, he did this. . . (Pull up and cut off 
other string, toss out, pull down on one rope, snip off 
other even, fan, and restore as before.) 

So it is, with the fan, and the secret of how the 
Yogi worked, I can now reproduce this feat to your en¬ 
tire satisfaction. It seems that he had a piece of rope 
which he doubled over and cut off at the fold, so: (Cut; 
throw away piece.) If that cut were not enough, he 
could have cut pieces from all four ends. . .(ACTU¬ 
ALLY SEPARATE THE ROPES with a dramatic 
pause. Cut away the “hollow parts” of ropes but be 
very careful not to cut off end A.) He knotted the 
ends together. . .so. . .(Tie special knot.) And he wound 
the rope around the knot. (Palm knot and waste piece. 
Dispose of them when you get fan.) Then he would fan 
the knot in his left hand for a moment (replace fan) 
and he could blend the knot and ropes together into 
one solid, perfect rope which we could examine to our 
satisfaction and find no sign of the three cuts!” 


345 




CHAPTER 8 

MISCELLANEOUS ROPE TRICKS 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Chapter 8. MISCELLANEOUS ROPE TRICKS 

STABBING THE LOOP 

A length of soft rope is laid on the table as shown 
in Figure 466. The performer sets the tip of one finger 



in either one of the circles of the “Figure 8“ (indicated 
with a cross). He then tells someone to draw away the 
ends of the rope together. The result is that the per¬ 
former’s finger is caught in a loop, possibly in the very 
manner depicted in Figure 467. The string is retained 
differently according to which loop the finger has been 
placed within. 

After doing this for a few times and showing that 
the rope invariably loops about the finger, the performer 
again lays down the rope. He puts his finger in a loop, 
either one marked with cross in Figure 468, and this 


349 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


time, when the rope is drawn away, it comes clear of 
the finger. Figure 469. 

A study of the drawings will make everything 
clear. When he lays down the rope for the last time, the 
performer places it just a little differently from the first 
few times. It is laid as shown in Figure 468, instead of 
the way shown in Figure 466. 

To the casual observer, the rope seems to be laid as 
before, but there is really a great deal of difference, be¬ 
cause in this case it is impossible for the loops to catch 
the finger. 

An effective presentation is to lay out the rope 
several times as in Figure 466. Stab a loop each time 
with an ornamental knife. Each time you succeed in 
retaining the loop. When a volunteer is convinced how 
easy it is, hand him the knife but lay out the rope as in 
Figure 468. It will be impossible for him to be suc¬ 
cessful. 

You can have him bet as to whether he will suc¬ 
ceed or fail and you can always lay out the rope so that 
he will lose his bet. 

The proper methods of laying out the rope can be 
learned in a few minutes, by following the diagrams 
carefully with a piece of rope. If you wish, the ends of 
the rope may be tied together at all times. The trick 
depends for its success on the careless manner in which 
it is performed. 

THE BACHELOR S NEEDLE 

A piece of soft rope, about two feet in length, is 
knotted at one end. This knotted end is allowed to hang 


350 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

down over the thumb of the left hand, the rope passing 
through the crotch of the thumb and forefinger close 
to the base of the thumb as shown in Figure 470. About 



one-third of the rope at the end of which the knot is 
tied, should hang down below the left hand thumb, 
Figure 470, while its other end is grasped in the right 
hand as shown. 

The portion of the rope held in the right hand is 
now wound around the thumb. Wind the rope towards 
you, bringing it down around the thumb, Figure 470, 


351 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


and up into the crotch between the left thumb and fore¬ 
finger until several turns of rope have been wound 
around the thumb. 

A sufficient length must be left to that portion of 
the rope wound around the thumb to make a loop as 
follows, shown in Figure 47 1. Do not pass the last six 
or eight inches of the rope around the thumb but, in¬ 
stead, bring its loose end down between the left thumb 
and forefinger and pinch it between the two so that it 
will project above the thumb in the form of a loop, 
Figure 471, the loop end hanging down between the 
thumb and forefinger and touching the palm at the base 
of the fingers. 

Now grasp the knotted end with the right hand 
thumb and forefinger, Figure 472, and allow the slack 
to scrape, as it were, along the inside surface of the 
thumb. Take care to hold the rope firmly between the 
thumb and finger, allowing only a small portion of the 
knotted end to appear above the thumb and to lie along¬ 
side the loop which shows above the thumb, Figure 472. 

It is important that the knotted portion of the rope 
which is above the thumb be pulled toward your body 
and run past the loop on the thumb side of the loop that 
is nearer your body, Figure 472. The free end of the 
rope showing in the palm, Figure 472, must be between 
the palm and the loop which is made in the palm, Figure 
472, as the knotted end is pulled up between the fore¬ 
finger and thumb, Figure 472. 

You should now let go of the knot for a moment. 
Then suddenly grasping it between the thumb and fore¬ 
finger of the right hand, as shown in Figure 503, give it 
a quick pull. The rope is thereby mysteriously threaded 
in the loop as shown in Figure 473 and 474. 


352 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


To repeat without arousing suspicion, pull the 
knotted end from out the loop and bring it up inside the 
thumb just as before, remarking, as you do so, that you 
will make it a still more difficult matter to thread the 
loop. Accordingly drop the knotted end and, taking hold 
of the loose end in the palm, Figure 472, pull it down¬ 
ward so that the loop above your thumb will become 
still smaller. You now take up the knotted end and give 
it a quick pull. The rope is again threaded in the loop. 

SAME RING—SAME FINGER 

Select a light, skeleton type chair, preferably one 
with a smooth seat, but particularly one of the kind 
which has an open space between the seat and the back. 
In other words, the back does not extend all the way 
down to the seat but only to within about four inches, 



leaving that much open space between the two. Fig¬ 
ure 475. 


353 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Seat yourself in this chair. Extend your arms around 
the back of the chair and request a spectator to tie your 
wrists together in that position. Next, request that one 
ankle be tied to each front leg of the chair. 

A borrowed ring is placed between your teeth. Af¬ 
ter a screen is placed in front of you, ask the spectators 
to tell you which finger of either your right or left hand 
that they wish the ring to appear upon. 

While they are deciding, tip the chair backward as 
far as you can, by extending the feet and toes down¬ 
ward, leaning forward at the same time to keep your 
balance. Now extend your neck and head downward as 
far as possible and let the ring drop into your lap, be¬ 
tween your legs and thence down on to the seat of the 
chair. This can be easily and noiselessly done by open¬ 
ing the knees after the ring has been dropped into the 
lap. Next assume your original position with all four 
legs of the chair on the floor. Nov/ by putting the 
weight of the body on your feet, and lifting yourself up 
and off the seat of the chair and a little forward at the 
same time, you can by a series of repeated motions of 
the body force the ring backward on the seat of the chair 
so that it is soon within reach of the hand. Once it is 
obtained, it is not difficult to place it on the desired fin¬ 
ger of the selected hand. 

While this body pushing process is taking place, 
continue your conversation about having no assistants, 
except the spirits, etc., but doing so with the teeth tightly 
closed so that the voice sounds the same as it did when 
the ring was between the teeth. Drop the ring into your 
lap as soon as the screen is in front of you. 

As soon as the ring is in position, ask to have the 
screen removed. Allow anyone to remove the ring from 
the finger on which it was requested to appear. 


354 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


SEYMOUR DAVIS’ “SINBAD’S ROPE” 

THE LOOKS: The performer exhibits a length of 
rope, said to have belonged to Sinbad, the Sailor, and 
invites a spectator to assist him in illustrating a sea 
story. The rope is measured with the aid of a tape meas¬ 
ure, and a piece about 40 inches long is cut off. The 
story is now begun and, as it progresses, the rope is 
effectively used to illustrate Sinbad’s tale. The specta¬ 
tor is asked to cut off 2 inches of the rope, thus shorten¬ 
ing it to 38 inches. However, when the story is finished, 
the rope is again measured, but it is found to measure 
42 inches instead of 38. 

THE HOW: Any tape measure may be used. Soft, 
cotton rope, such as is obtainable at almost any hard¬ 
ware store, is used. Have a 4-foot piece and a pair of 
scissors ready. 

When spectator comes on platform, trim off one 
frayed end of the rope, and hand him the scissors. Place 
trimmed end of rope even with end of tape measure, 
holding tape measure between first and middle fingers 
of right hand, the left fingers keeping end of rope and 
measure even. Now slide right hand along to measure 
the rope, holding tape measure taut but letting rope 
slide loosely between right thumb and first finger. Of 
course the rope should not be held so loosely that it 
dangles, but it should be kept just taut enough so that 
it will lay along tape measure. Spectator is allowed to 
cut off rope at exactly 40 inches. Performer begins Sin¬ 
bad’s actual story at this point of the trick. He allows 
spectator to measure and cut off exactly 2 inches of the 
rope. The 2-inch piece is then cut into bits and burned, 


355 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


or the pieces scattered along the rope as one would scat¬ 
ter salt. 

Performer calls attention to the fact that the rope 
is now 38 inches long. Continuing his story, performer 
again measures rope in the following manner: Spectator 
is asked to hold one end of rope even with end of tape 
measure. The performer then measures the rope in the 
same manner as at first, except that he keeps the rope 
taut and the measuring tape loose this time, thus stretch¬ 
ing the rope to the 42-inch mark. 

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Just try it move by 
move. It works! 

THE SAY: Build a story around the following 
plot, using your own words and manner best fitted to 
your particular personality: Sinbad, the Sailor, was at 
sea. There came a terrific storm. The small sailing craft 
must be anchored to shore. Great Scott! The rope won’t 
reach! (Rope measured, 40 inches long.) The boat is 
floating away. Ha! Sinbad to the rescue. He cuts off 
one end (2 inches cut off rope), ties it to the other end 
(2-inch piece burned or vanished in any way desired), 
swims ashore and anchors boat by tying rope to a tele¬ 
phone pole (rope found to be 42 inches long). Sinbad 
given engraved collar button for valor. (If rope ever 
fails to stretch to the 42-inch mark, a good excuse is 
that Sinbad used up some of the rope in tying the knot.) 

H. BERSON’S MIRACLE ROPE GROWTH 

EFFECT: The performer, after the presentation of 
one of the many cut and restored rope trick routines, 
adds an additional climax by taking the rope he has just 
finished using and has it marked with a tag, piece of 


356 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

gummed paper, or in any other way that suggests itself. 
In full view of the audience, he draws the rope through 
his hand and shows it has increased to twice its original 
length. The markings are still attached to prove con¬ 
clusively that there has been no substitution. Rope 
tricks have proven very popular and this additional ef¬ 
fect will be welcomed by all. 

HOW IT IS DONE: An extra piece of rope is used. 
It must be an exact duplicate in color, texture and ap¬ 
pearance. This duplicate may be any reasonable length 
but we suggest that it be the same length as the one first 
displayed. Treat both ends of both ropes, so it will not 
matter which ends are used, with a good rope cement. 
Let this dry thoroughly. 

Take off your coat and place one piece so that when 
the coat is put back on the rope will be concealed up the 
sleeve with one end near the cuff. The balance of the 
rope is so arranged and pleated that it may be drawn 
from the sleeve easily and without tangling. 

If you wish, you may attach a loop of flesh-colored 
catgut to the lower end of the rope up the sleeve. Let 
this loop come down and over the middle finger. Even 
a loop of pink silk thread may be used for this purpose. 
The thread or catgut will facilitate getting the extra 
piece of rope down into the hands without any fumbling 
or hesitancy. 

The effect, as it now proceeds, is the showing of 
the visible length of rope, having it marked in some 
manner to preclude substitution, and then taken back by 
the performer. The end of the extra piece in coat sleeve 
is pressed to the end of the visible rope and, as they have 
both been treated with rope cement, a rolling pressure 
between the fingers causes them to join firmly together. 


357 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

If done in a proper manner, the joining is invisible 
and a good rope cement will hold sufficiently that a good 
pull may be made later to prove that the rope is all in 
one piece. 

With the two rope ends securely attached, the per¬ 
former closes his hand but allows the end to protrude 
through the opening of fist made by the curled thumb 
and forefinger. Gradually pulling on the rope, the two 
pieces are brought into view as one, much to the aston¬ 
ishment of the audience. The part that is marked should 
be produced at the beginning by having the marker near 
the end you proceed to pull from the fist first. Having 
produced the rope, you display its doubled length. Be¬ 
cause the fact that its increased size is so very evident, 
no measuring should be necessary to prove that it has 
been caused to grow to twice its size. 

Suitable patter should be arranged. You might re¬ 
mark that this rope wasn’t long enough for the Hindu 
boy to quite reach heaven when originally tossed in the 
air. By some unseen power he was able to increase its 
length. Thus he passed on to the Great Happy Hunting 
Ground of the Mighty Allah that had gone on before, 
etc. 


WINSTON FREER’S ALAGEN ROPE 

EFFECT: The magician displays a three-foot length 
of rope and simply by pulling it through his hands it 
stretches to more than six feet in length. After the 
stretched rope has been examined, the magician may 
use same in a rope cutting routine. 

In this method there is no exchange and no body 
or sleeve work. You simply pull the rope through the 
hands and it stretches. 


358 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


SECRET: The rope is constructed exactly the same 
as the Maxam rope described in Chapter Seven. Refer 
to Figure 461. Of course, the “Alagen” rope lacks the 
slits and red strings included in that illustration. 

The working will be obvious. You simply grasp the 
“core” and pull it out as you skin the “sheath” back. 
The rope not only doubles in length but may be im¬ 
mediately examined. 

An odd variation, suggested by Mr. Freer, is to 
color the “sheath” a bright red. Now, the rope not only 
increases to twice its original length but changes from 
red to white. 


WINSTON FREER’S MASTER MUSCLE 

EFFECT: The magician places a short piece of 
rope, it need only be five or six inches long, on the table 
in front of anyone. They are requested not to touch it 
but they may look it over from end to end as closely as 
they wish. Now, the magician picks it up on each side 
of the center with the forefinger and thumb of each 
hand only. Slowly and deliberately, HE PULLS IT 
APART. It looks like a return engagement of Samson. 

SECRET: The rope used is a piece of that left after 
working either the “Maxam” or “Alagen” tricks. A slit 
is made half way through the rope with a sharp razor 
blade. This slit is on the underside when the rope is 
placed on the table for visual inspection. The rope frays 
out when it is pulled apart. This fraying conceals the 
fact that the rope had previously been tampered with. 


359 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


WINSTON FREER’S “TUG-OF-WAR” ROPE 

Imagine a tug-of-war contest between three or four 
members of the audience and the magician. The odds 
look very much against the magician but he has no 
trouble holding his own. For some unknown reason the 
rope seems to slide through the hands of his opponents 
and, without being able to prevent it, they all fall to the 
floor in a heap. 

The magician is the victor with all the rope in his 
hands and stranger yet, the rope is more than twice its 
original length and can immediately be used in a rope 
cutting routine. 

SECRET: The original length of the rope is six 
feet. It is constructed the same as the “Alagen” rope. In 
other words, you have a rope within itself with both 
ends at one end and the center at the other. If the core 
is grasped by one man, and another man tries to pull 
against him by pulling on the outer rope, or sheath, the 
second man will be unable to prevent the rope from 
pulling out through his hands. Several opponents may 
be vanquished in this way, as each falls off the faked 
end of the rope, not realizing that his team mate has 
just fallen off behind him. 

PRESENTATION: Have a silk or cotton handker¬ 
chief at hand. Invite three volunteers, young men pre¬ 
ferred, to have some fun with you. Start out with a tug 
of war contest in which you and one chap pull against 
the other two. 

Now, have them all pull against you. As in any tug 
of war contest, you tie the handkerchief around the 
rope near your end, between you and your nearest op- 


360 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


ponent. As you tie this, whisper to your nearest op¬ 
ponent to keep a good hold on the rope near this hand¬ 
kerchief—not to grip too hard, nor let go. 

You skin back the outer sheath a bit as the hand¬ 
kerchief is tied right over the place where the sheath 
ends on the core. You grasp the core in one hand, grip¬ 
ping the sheath lightly too with the thumb and forefin¬ 
ger. Have it understood that only a straight grip is al¬ 
lowed as it would be unfair to you for them to wind 
the rope around their hands, etc. 

Now, start pulling easily. There are three against 
you, the magician, See that they are all near the wing 
and you are about the center of stage. Suddenly you re¬ 
lease your hold on the sheath and continue pulling on 
the core. Run away from them quite rapidly until they 
are all seated on the floor looking surprised and foolish. 
You hold all the rope, hank and all. Apparently the rope 
has “stretched” out to more than twice its original 
length. 

It is we 1 ] to have a cushion or carpet for them to 
fall on. See that they do not stand near any tables or 
hard objects they might strike their heads on as they 
fall. 


THE HYPNOTIZED ROPE 

EFFECT: A novel interlude that was described to 
me by John Lippy, Jr. 

Suppose the magician is going to present the “Vase 
Of The Orient” mystery. He first picks up the short 
length of rope from his table and holds it vertically in 
front of him by the very ends at his extreme finger¬ 
tips. The right hand is at the top. Slowly he removes 


361 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

this hand and the rope remains erect held only by the 
left hand at the lower end. 

Once more the upper end is grasped in the right 
hand and again it is released. This time the rope falls 
limp and may be used in any trick that requires an or¬ 
dinary, short length of rope. 

SECRET: A quantity of sugar is dissolved in a 
basin of water. The rope is soaked in this solution and 
then hung up to dry. When dry, the rope will stand 
stiff and erect by itself. 

PRESENTATION: Have the rope laid out per¬ 
fectly straight on your table. Pick it up by one hand at 
each extreme end. Hold it out straight and horizontally 
for a moment and then shift it to a vertical position 
with the right hand at the top. The right hand is re¬ 
moved, as explained, and the rope rises straight and 
firm from the left hand. When the right hand again 
grasps the rope, it is between the forefinger and thumb 
which slide along it to the top, starting at just above the 
left fingers. This action permits the thumb nail to press 
against the side of the rope away from the audience and 
break the crystallized shell that supports the rope. This 
time, when the right hand lets go, the rope falls limp. 

GRANT AND MAILLOW’S ROPES OF BENGAL 

A piece of cardboard, 6x9 inches, is formed into 
a cylinder in full view of the audience and a rubber band 
snapped around it to hold it in place. Two unprepared 
ropes are next handed out for examination and threaded 
through the cylinder. The performer cuts one of the 
ropes short, then merely pulls on it and it stretches back 
to full length. This is repeated twice more. 


362 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


A spectator is handed a slip bearing a written pre¬ 
diction. Another length of rope is cut from one of the 
ends making a short and a long rope. The spectator is 
allowed free selection of either rope and is permitted to 
remove it from the tube himself. Whichever rope he has 
selected agrees with the prediction. 

SECRET AND PRESENTATION: The moves are 
as follows: Two four-foot ropes are displayed as in 




Figure 476. The ropes are crossed and the thumb slipped 
under rope “B”. Figure 477. 

The thumb is brought down, Figure 478, which 
brings both *B ends together. 


363 




















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Figure 479 illustrates the position of the ropes at 
this stage. 

The hand is dropped to the side. This brings both 
“A” ends together. Figure 480. 

The fingers are closed around the ropes to conceal 
their “linked’’ nature. Figure 481 



Figure 482 shows the ropes being threaded through 
the tube. 

Figure 483 pictures the ropes ready for cutting. 
The ends “A-A” extend much farther from the tube. 

Figure 484 reveals the actual position of the ropes 
in the tube. 


364 























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Equal lengths are cut from the ends “A-A” and 
passed for examination. Figure 485. 

Cut a foot length from one “A” end. This makes a 
short and a long rope. Figure 486. 




The tube is reversed. The “A-A” ends are concealed 
behind the arm while “stretching” the rope. Figure 487. 

Cut a foot length from a “B” end making a short 
and a long rope. 

The “B-B” ends are concealed behind the arm while 
stretching the rope. Same as Figure 487 with the excep¬ 
tion that the position of the rope ends are reversed. 

Again cut a foot length from one “B” end. 

A prediction has been written which states that the 
spectator will select the short rope. If the tube is of¬ 
fered as in Figure 488, it matters little which end he 
chooses as both ends, “B-B”, belong to the short rope. 

If the tube is reversed, and the prediction made ac¬ 
cordingly, the spectator will select the long piece. In 


365 













ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


either case, the performer holds one end of the rope at 
the opposite end of the tube and pulls at the same time 
that the spectator does 



488 


NOTE: The moves depicted in Figures 477, 478, 
479, 480, and 481 are made while picking up the tube 
from the table. 


HERMAN HANSON’S CLIMAX ROPE TRICK 


This feat of apparent restoration has been reserved 
until now because of its similarity to the preceding 
trick. 

EFFECT: A length of rope is openly cut into two 
equal parts. These are placed in a cylinder made from 
an unprepared magazine, or sheet of paper, with an 
elastic band round it to keep it in shape. The two ends 
of the rope above the cylinder are taken by a spectator 
on one side and the performer on the other, they slowly 
pull the rope out and it is found to be again in one piece. 
All trace of the cut has disappeared. 

PRESENTATION: Show the magazine, roll it into 
a cylinder about two inches in diameter, and put the 
elastic band around it. Stand this on your table. Pick up 


366 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


the rope and test it by jerking it sharply between the 
hands. Take the scissors and cut it in half. Hold the two 
pieces in the right hand between the thumb and forefin¬ 
ger, Figure 489. Take the center of the first rope be¬ 



tween the first finger and thumb of the left hand, pull 
it a little to the left and count “One,” Figure 490. Now 
take hold of the second rope at its center in the same 
way, taking care to cross this second piece over the first 
one and insert the second and third fingers between 
the ropes at the point at which they cross over each 
other, Figure 491. Count “Two.” 

Let both ends of the rope fall from your right hand 
and at the same time turn your left hand over slightly, 
bringing its palm toward the floor. The two ropes will 


367 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


now be looped together as in Figure 492, the two ends 
of one piece being on one side of the hand and those of 
the second piece being on the other. As far as the audi¬ 
ence is concerned, you have simply taken both pieces 
by their middles. In order to divert any suspicion at 



this point, however, it is advisable to ask for the as¬ 
sistance of a spectator as you make this move. 


368 























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


A volunteer having come forward, hand the scis¬ 
sors to him and, with the ropes held in your left hand, 
concealing the loops, invite him to cut off several pieces 
of both ropes and offer the ends of rope BB, higure 
492. When he has done this, take the scissors and cut 
off several more pieces from the same ends, thus ensur¬ 
ing that the loop in Figure 494 will be very short. Hand 
the scissors back to the spectator and take the ropes in 
the right hand, holding them as shown in Figure 493. 

Pick up the cylinder with the left hand, lower the 
ends of the ropes into it, Figure 493, and, as the right 
hand touches the top of the cylinder, turn it upside 
down, using both hands, Figure 494 and 493. Pull the 
ends now in the left hand upwards a little and at the 
same time release one end of the loop, gripping the other 
end in the right thumb crotch. Correctly done the audi¬ 
ence see, apparently, the two ends of the ropes being 
pulled up into the cylinder, Figure 496. 

The situation now is this: You are holding the 
cylinder in the left hand and two ends of the rope are 
hanging down outside as in Figure 497. You have the 
small piece of the original second rope hidden in your 
right hand. Ask the spectator for the scissors, take them 
from him with your right hand and put them in your 
pocket, letting the small piece of rope drop with them. 

Ask the spectator to take hold of one end of the 
rope, seize the other end yourself and pull the rope 
slowly out of the cylinder. The climax is reached when 
the middle of the rope comes into view and it is seen to 
be in one piece again, Figure 498. Unroll the cylinder, 
show it empty, and hand the restored rope to the spec¬ 
tator as a souvenir. 


369 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


PERCY ABBOTT’S “EASY-DO” ROPE TRICK 

The effect is to make two cuts in a six foot length 
of rope, and bring about a restoration without resorting 
to the business of trimming the knots and palming the 
fake pieces and so on. 

Here are Mr. Abbott’s instructions: 

Refer to Chapter Six for the moves 1 use in the 
cutting—I have used this method of rope cutting for 
many years and simply added the Brema fake when 
the Convincing Rope Trick was given to the magic 
fraternity. 

The supposedly cut rope is draped around the neck 
and a 5-pound paper sack is shown. One small corner 
is cut from the bottom of the sack and one end of rope 
is threaded through from the inside of the sack. The 
first knot in the rope prevents the rope from going all 
the way through. More rope is stuffed into the sack un¬ 
til the second knot is out of sight of all spectators. 

The mouth of the sack is now twisted around the 
rope, and ends of rope can now be held by two members 
of the audience. Here you stress the point that it is im¬ 
possible for you to tamper with the rope at the cut sec¬ 
tions as same is sealed within the confines of the paper 
sack, therefore, the paper sack is their protection against 
trickery on your part. 

You now grasp the mouth of the sack, requesting 
the spectator holding the end of rope that passes through 
the hole in the bottom of the sack to release his hold. 
The other spectator holding his end of the rope, you 
skin the sack completely off the rope, crush it, and 


370 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


nonchalantly throw it to one side. The rope is completely 
restored. 


U. F. GRANT’S AMAZING ROPE TRICK 

Now for the first time this amazing rope trick is 
revealed to the magicians of the world. It is one used by 
its originator, U. F. Grant, on special occasions only 
when magicians were not present, with the thought of 
keeping it exclusive. Only a few magicians were let in 
on the secret, one being Max Holden, who saw Grant 
perform it on a special show in 1928. 

Always it has been the magician’s dream to take a 
single length of rope and, without any loops or false 
ties, to cut it in half and hold the two pieces separately; 
then, without exchanging the rope, to completely re¬ 
store it, and at the finish to be able to throw the rope 
to the audience as a souvenir. 

That is exactly what happens in this effect, which 
Grant has dubbed the Amazing Rope Secret. It is a rope 
trick that has stood the test and actually fooled every 
audience before whom it has been worked, including 
the few magicians who have witnessed it. 

So, after reading the secret, do not discard it and 
say, “lam afraid I could not get away with it.’’ 

SECRET AND WORKING: At the outset let us 
stress the point that certain conditions are necessary and 
as this is a feature trick, it is not to be used as a pocket 
stunt, but to be used only on special shows where you 
have a fairly large audience and you are at a short dis¬ 
tance from them, and if possible on a platform or stage. 


371 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


First of all, decide upon the rope you intend to use. 
Any soft, pliable rope, such as used in most cut and 
restored rope tricks, will do. 

Take a piece of BLACK felt and sew it into a tube 
just large enough to slip over the rope and about two 
and a half inches long. Slip this to the center of the 
rope. Then take the two ends of rope and cement them 
together. 

NOW if you are wearing a dark brown or blue suit, 
or a Tuxedo, hold the rope at the cemented ends and al¬ 
low the rope to hang down in front of your body so it 
hangs in front of trousers, the black tube, invisible 
against the dark suit, causing the appearance of two 
ends of the rope. In other words, it appears as if you 
are holding the center of the rope and the two ends are 
hanging down in front of you. Hold the rope fairly close 
to the body. 

Cut at the top at cemented section and trim off a 
little at each end to get rid of all the cemented surface. 
Hold the ropes at top, one in each hand, about two and 
a half inches apart, and, the audience apparently sees 
the two separate ends at the bottom. They see two sep¬ 
arate distinct ropes. 

Bring the two ends at top together in one hand. 
Other hand reaches down and apparently catches the 
two ends, but actually covers the tube part in palm of 
hand with each end of rope coming out of the fist thus 
formed. 

NOW pull the rope through the hand. As you do, 
the tube remains in the hand and the rope comes out in 
one piece. Cloth tube is crushed in the hand and the 
completely restored rope is thrown out to the audience 
for thorough examination—and may be taken away. 


372 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


You have performed a Miracle rope trick the audi¬ 
ence will long remember. 

PATTER SUGGESTION. Step forward with the 
rope and patter to the effect that magicians for years 
have dreamed of a rope trick where they could take one 
single length of unprepared rope such as you are hold¬ 
ing and actually cut it in half without any false moves 
or ties, and hold each piece separate and away from 
the other ; then without exchanging this rope, restore 
it in full view and allow that same rope to be taken home 
as a souvenir by any spectator. That is exactly what you 
are about to perform, a trick you have developed after 
many years of experimenting. 

Then go on to say they are to watch you closely 
and see that everything is open and above board—you 
will even work it in slow motion. By working it slow- 
motion and deliberately, it will help, as then it will not 
be noticed that you are careful not to move the rope too 
much after it is cut. To the audience it will appear as if 
you are holding it still and handling it slowly so they 
can follow more closely. 

Now go ahead and work trick as explained with 
normal serious patter. As you pull the rope through 
the hand to be restored, cry out, “A MIRACLE,” and 
at the same time throw the rope into the audience with 
a wide sweep, and take a bow. 


373 




CHAPTER 9 

THE HINDOO ROPE TRICK 
























































































. 
















































































































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Chapter 9. THE HINDOO ROPE TRICK 

RUPERT SLATER’S MOTH AND ROPE 

The instructions that follow are in Mr. Slater’s own 
words. 

EFFECT AND PATTER: The first and last verses 
should be spoken in the performer’s natural voice and 
the intermediate verses in the local dialect of the place 
where performing. 

From Greenland’s icy mountains, 

To Buckingham Street in the Strand, 

They say that the Indian Rope Trick 
Is the myth of a Mystic Land. 

Will I have a drink sir? 

Not arf I won’t with you, 

Make it a couple of pints sir, 

And I’ll tell you what I’ll do, 

I’ll show you the Indian Rope Trick, 

Then you’ll know that the thing is true. 

I was only a private soldier sir, 

In eighteen eighty three, 

A’ trying to do my duty, 

At Bombay by the sea, 

And when I thinks of the Rope Trick 
I laughs to myself with glee. 

I shall never forget the day sir, 

Out on the Barrack Square, 


377 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The officers, men and the ladies 
Were all of ’em gathered there, 

When in the midst of the crowd sir, 

A rope went into the skies, 

And a boy climbed up the rope sir, 

Then vanished afore our eyes. 

Now this was done in the open, 

Under the blazing sun, 

And yet the kiddie vanished, 

And I didn’t know how it was done. 
But I said to myself I’d find out sir, 

If it cost me a month of pay, 

(Tho’ we didn’t get much at that time, 
Only a penny a day). 

So after the show was over, 

I spoke to that Magic Wallah, 

And he showed me how it was done sir, 
When I gives him half a dollar, 

What: You don’t believe me! 

Then stand me a drop more beer, 

And I’ll show you the trick at once sir, 
In front of your eyes right here. 

Look: an ordinary piece of rope sir, 
(Performer picks up rope) 

And a moth of a brilliant hue, 

(He picks up moth) 

Now if you watch me closely 
I’ll prove what I said was true, 

I place the moth on the rope sir, 
(Performer does so) 

Near the bottom end, just so, 


378 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Please notice sir what happens, 

The moment I say “Go.” 

See: it’s climbing up the rope sir, 

Just like that Indian did, 

It’s going up the line sir, 

Like the war-time soldiers did. 

Higher and higher and higher, 

It’s nearly reached my hand, 

BLIMEY SIR IT’S VANISHED! 

NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND? 

(Performer places rope on table.) 

And from Greenland’s icy mountains, 

To Buckingham Street in the Strand, 

They say that the Indian Rope Trick 
Is the myth of a Mystic Land. 

PREPARATION: I obtained a length of thick rope 
from a marine store; it contained an inner cord which 
I found could with careful manipulation be removed 
leaving a kind of hollow rope which would just hold a 
tube 34 of an inch in diameter. I colored an 18-inch 
length of this rope medium grey and when dry I mot¬ 
tled it with black. 

I made a cardboard tube 1 0 inches long and Y i of 
an inch in diameter. One end of the tube I plugged with 
a piece of cork. In the side of the tube, near the op¬ 
posite end, I made an oblong hole. I slightly smeared 
the tube with Ste-fix, around the hole, and then inserted 
it into the rope. I left it for a day and then with a razor 
blade I cut a hole in the rope to correspond with the hole 
in the tube. 


379 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


I passed the end of a long piece of thin thread 
through the rope (from the opposite side to the hole and 
opposite to the top of the hole Figure 499) then out 



through the hole. To this end of the thread I attached 
the moth and I fastened the other end of the thread to 
the table. 

The body of the moth I rrfade from a cylindrical 
piece of lead, Vi an inch long and Vig of an inch in di¬ 
ameter, which I covered with a piece of colored tissue 
paper, and to which I attached wings made from a 
feather flower. If you take great care in putting it to¬ 
gether a very large moth can be made which will func¬ 
tion perfectly. 

TO PERFORM: Pick the rope up with the fore¬ 
finger and thumb of the left hand, the hole towards 
you, and exhibit. Transfer the rope to your right hand 


380 













ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


and hold it as shown in Figure 500. As you place it 
into the right hand move the thumb towards the right 
so that the rope will make half a revolution, thus bring¬ 
ing the hole to the front. The audience will not see the 
opening because the right hand conceals it from their 
view. 

Take the moth with the left hand; move forward 
till the thread adjusts itself so that you can suspend the 
moth near the bottom end of the cord or tube. Now 
slowly move the right hand forward, and the moth will 
appear to climb up the rope till it is hidden behind the 
right hand. Continue the pull and the body of the moth 
will pass through the hole; then bring the rope towards 
you and the weight of the lead will cause the moth and 
feathers to descend into the rope. Take the rope in the 
left hand, giving the half twist to bring the hole towards 
you again; exhibit and place on the table. 

THE POCKET HINDOO ROPE TRICK 

Several years ago, Sid Lorraine showed me this in¬ 
teresting novelty. 

EFFECT: A short piece of rope, about two inches 
long, is displayed. The performer seriously asserts that 
it is a sample of the actual type of rope used in the fa¬ 
mous Hindoo Rope Mystery. The story of what really 
occurs, he explains, has been grossly exaggerated. The 
native wonder worker does toss the end of a coil of rope 
in the air. A small boy does climb the rope which myste¬ 
riously remains suspended vertically in the air BUT THE 

* FEAT SUDDENLY TERMINATES WITH THE MA¬ 
GICIAN CLAPPING HIS HANDS AND THE BOY 
AND ROPE SUDDENLY VANISHED FROM VIEW. 


381 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


This remarkable trick, so it is said, can only be per¬ 
formed in the morning or in the evening. The reason for 
this is that the apparent disappearance of the boy and 
the rope is an illusion created by the slanting rays of 
the sun. 

To illustrate his meaning, the performer holds the 
short piece of rope at the tips of his left fingers. A 
match is lighted and the right hand moves it slowly 
downward past the rope to simulate the slanting rays 
of the descending sun. This make-shift expedient is 
more successful than anticipated FOR THE ROPE 
ENTIRELY DISAPPEARS. 

SECRET: Most of you are familiar with flash pa¬ 
per. In this trick a piece of flash rope is used. The patter 
concerning the slanting rays of the sun is to supply an 
excuse for the use of the lighted match to touch off the 
flash rope. 

NOTE: The flash rope is also very effective when 
used as the sliding knot in numerous cut and restored 
rope routines. A candle flame, for instance, visibly 
welds the rope together again—or so it appears when 
the knot so completely vanishes. 

THE VANISHING BOY 

Collins Pentz describes a trick where a rope is 
thrown in the air and a small boy climbs up the rope 
and disappears, somewhat on the order of the much 
talked of Indian Rope Mystery. It may be presented on 
almost any stage, is easily accomplished and does not 
require much time or material to build. 

By making a careful study of Figure 501, you will 
be able to see every detail of its working without much 
description. 


382 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



When the rope is thrown into the flies it drops to 
the floor and another trial is made. This time a person 
concealed in the flies catches and ties the upper end of 
the rope. The boy climbs to the top and while all of him 
but his hands and wrists are in view the powder is set 
off by a push button which produces a flash and smoke. 
Just as soon as the smoke rises and conceals the boy 
from the view of the audience, the cable “C” is quickly 
pulled and the boy is drawn behind the wings. From 
there he descends and runs around to the front of the 
house and comes running down the aisle. 

Just as the boy starts on the journey for the wing, 
the rope is dropped to the stage. 

For your further information, please consult Fig¬ 
ure 501 again. “A” represents the rope which should 
be quite large. “B” is a piece of gas pipe attached to the 
cable. “C” which runs over pulleys at each end. “D” to 
“D” is the opening between the wings, which should 


383 























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


not be too large. “E” is the metal trough in which the 
proper quantity of powder is placed. This will have to 
be determined by trial. “F” is a flash pan, from which 
wires run to an electric push button. “G” is where the 
pulleys should be located to support the cable, which 
should be tied securely at each end until the time the 
boy is to be drawn behind the wing. The short piece of 
gas pipe is used so the cable will not hurt the boy’s 
hands and to give an easier and more solid grip. 



^04 


384 














ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


DUNNINGERS EAST INDIAN ROPE TRICK 

The effect of this illusion is in line with the various 
ideas that have been planned to duplicate the Indian 
Rope Trick—namely, the vanish of a boy from a sus¬ 
pended rope in the center of the stage. The following 
is one of the most practical methods yet devised. 



A coiled rope is on the stage. One end rises. Fig¬ 
ure 502. When it is out of sight in the flies, a boy climbs 
the rope. The magician mounts an ordinary ladder and 


385 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


covers the boy with a cloth. Figures 503 and 504. He 
descends the ladder; fires a pistol; and the cloth and 
rope fall. Figure 505. The boy is gone. 

SECRET: The rope is drawn up by a strong piano 
wire. The end is fastened or retained when the rope 
reaches the flies. There is a batten above the top of the 
curtain which forms an opening behind which the rope 
is raised. From this batten a strong piano wire runs to 
the rope. Figure 506. 



The boy climbs the rope. Attached to him is a skel¬ 
eton wire frame or form. Figure 507. When he reaches 
the required spot, he attaches the form to the rope; and 
also attaches the piano wire to a special belt which is 
around his body. Figure 508. 

The ladder is set by the curtain. When the per¬ 
former extends the cloth, he momentarily covers the 
space between the rope and the curtain. The boy simply 
lets go of the rope. The weight of his own body in¬ 
stantly swings him off behind the curtain, as the wire 
comes down at a sharp angle. Figure 509. The magician 
does not hesitate. He wraps the cloth about the wire 
frame and leaves it hanging on the rope. When the 


386 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


pistol is fired, the rope is released from above and every¬ 
thing drops to the stage. Figure 505. 


507 ;/jl 

-8 LLl) 



Note the great feature of this illusion—namely that 
the getaway of the boy is instantaneous. He swings off 
like a flash and rides safely to the wing under his own 
momentum. Cumbersome back drops, hoisting winches 
or trick ladders are eliminated. The whole thing takes 
place in the fraction of a second—as rapidly as if the 
boy leaped out of sight. The covering between the cur¬ 
tain and the rope is no more than momentary. 

A thin strong wire will do the work. The lighting 
should all be from in front, thus rendering the wire in¬ 
visible. A back drop of a mixed design is preferable. 
Despite the remarkable effect of this illusion, the props 
required are inexpensive. With a rope, two wires and 
a skeleton form, the illusion can be adapted to almost 
any stage. 


387 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


SVENGALI’S ROPE CLIMBING TRICK OF INDIA 

Mr. W. T. Lawhead offers the following version: 
EFFECT: The performer comes on the stage with a 
twenty-foot coil of rope on his left arm. He is accom¬ 
panied by a small boy. On reaching the center of the 
stage he stops and, taking one end of the rope in his 
right hand, tosses it into the air. To the amazement of 
all, the rope does not drop back to the stage but re¬ 
mains stationary in a perpendicular position with no 
visible means of support. One end of the rope is on the 
stage. The other end dangles in the air some twenty 
feet above the performer’s head. The boy then climbs 
to the top of the rope, where he remains a few seconds, 
and slides back down. The performer then grasps the 
rope and commands it to fall. It immediately drops back 
to the stage. 

It is significant to note that the entire rope, the per¬ 
former, and the boy, are in full view of the audience at all 
times. No confederates or back-stage assistance is re¬ 
quired. There are no mirrors or sheet glass used. The 
trick can be performed in the open air, as it was orig¬ 
inally. 

SECRET: Twenty feet above the center of the 
stage, a piano wire is stretched across in a horizontal 
position. This fine wire will not be visible beyond the 
footlights and yet it will be sufficiently strong enough 
to hold up the weight of a boy or even a man. The rope 
used by the performer should be frayed at one end. 
Imbedded and concealed in the frayed part, securely 
fastened to the rope, fix a steel hook with four prongs. 
Two of the prongs are at right angles to the other two. 


388 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

The prongs should be about the size and shape of ordi¬ 
nary fish hooks. That end of the rope which contains the 
hooks is the one the performer throws into the air. 
Standing directly under the piano wire, the performer 
throws the rope into the air in such a manner that the 
frayed end will come in contact with the wire and, as 
there is a hook reaching out in each direction imbedded 
in this frayed part, one of the hooks will catch on the 
wire. The boy, who has been trained to climb the rope, 
then climbs to the top. To all appearances, from the 
point of view of the audience, the rope and boy are 
suspended in the air with no means of support what¬ 
ever. 

After the boy slides back down the rope, the per¬ 
former gives the rope a twirling motion which dislodges 
the hook from the wire and the rope drops to the floor. 
If the trick is performed in the open air, the wire should 
be stretched between two trees and the audience kept 
at a distance. 

THE DISCOVERY: Many years have elapsed 
since the Rope Trick was performed in India. The secret 
of this trick, no doubt, is unknown to the present day 
fakirs and magicians of India. It probably belonged to 
the preceding generation. It is quite possible that the 
aged Hindoo fakir who did perform the trick some four 
decades ago thought that the secret of the modus oper- 
andi died at the time he did. He guarded his secret most 
carefully. Indian magicians of recent years have told 
travelers fanciful and weird tales of the rope trick but 
they have failed to demonstrate it when put to the actual 
test by real investigators. 

After twenty years of research, interviewing trav¬ 
elers and East Indians, and listening to all kinds of im- 


389 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


possible explanations ranging from hypnotism to the 
absolute denials that it was ever performed, the writer 
(Mr. W. T. Lawhead) has finally learned the secret 
from the lips of a high caste Brahman. He is of a 
wealthy East Indian family, was educated in America 
and England, and is one of the most influential per¬ 
sonages in all India. I doubt if any magician, aside from 
the writer, has ever had the privilege of interviewing this 
leader of thought in the Far East. 

When this Indian leader was a small boy in his na¬ 
tive town, his father gave him a very elaborate birthday 
party one year. An aged fakir was hired for the occasion 
to perform his mystifying feats. The tricks were per¬ 
formed in the open parkway in front of the boy’s home. 
When it came time for him to perform the rope trick, 
the boy’s older sister excused herself from the guests 
and retired to the house. From a concealed position, 
she looked through an extra strong pair of binoculars 
and discovered that the rope was hooked on to a fine 
wire that extended from the dense foliage of one tree, 
across the open parkway, and into the dense foliage 
of a second tree. The fakir, evidently, had secretly 
strung the wire sometime the night before and so was 
“all set’’ for the party the next afternoon. The audience 
was kept at a considerable distance so it could not de¬ 
tect the wire. 

As the trees were many feet apart, being on op¬ 
posite sides of the open area, and as there was no 
branches or foliage directly above the upright boy and 
rope, it seemed as if nothing intervened between the 
top of the rope and the open sky, which made the il¬ 
lusion perfect. 


390 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


J. K. WRIGHT’S INDIAN ROPE TRICK 

The Indian Rope Trick, mentioned in every itiner¬ 
ary of the Orient, has been made world-famous by the 
fakirs of India, and as with all other unexplainable feats 
of legerdemain, the performance has usually been 
ascribed to hypnotism or even crowd-mesmerism. The 
rope, in accordance with this version, is merely cast 
aloft, and in the interval of the throw and before its 
descent, the spectators are hypnotized, their eyes seeing 
not, their minds retaining only what is told them by 
the fakir. 

India is the land of a thousand iron-bound castes, 
no caste will enlighten the other, each looking upon the 
caste lower as a defilement if even thought of; but all 
the various strata are combined to defeat the foreigner. 
The natives of India keep their secrets. To this day it 
is unexplainable how the natives were kept advised as 
to the movement of the troops, the fall of cities, and 
other information which the British with the aid of 
heliographs and messengers were days in forwarding. 

An Indian fakir is generally a descendant in a pro¬ 
fession, be it entertainment, plain alms-seeking or dis¬ 
guised under some fanatical religious devotion. From 
childhood he assimilates knowledge concerning his par¬ 
ticular bent, and practices with the patience only had by 
the Orientals, considering himself extremely well pro¬ 
vided for if he obtains a single, simple meal every day. 
Hence his public appearance may be certain to be as 
perfect as humanly possible. 

The performer of this rope trick must first of all 
have his rope, which if ever closely examined will be 


391 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


discovered to be a jointed affair, flexible in one direc¬ 
tion only. This rope in the old days of the trick had to 
be assembled from carven pieces of selected teak. Even 
after the most careful assembly it might have broken 
in a dozen different places. When it was tested to the 
builder’s satisfaction, it was given a woven sheath so 
that in appearance it was identical with other coils of 
rope in his possession. Then for months on end, the 
fakir would practice the handling and casting of the 
pseudo and ordinary ropes. When it was possible for 
him to cast the jointed rope to such perfection that it 
simulated that of the ordinary, he would then obtain 
an agile boy of small size and weight, and initiate him 
into the mysteries. Under-nourished and illy cared for, 
so that all growth had ceased, the boy selected for the 
work could be counted upon to maintain utter silence 
and to perform his part to perfection. To him it meant 
the realization of a Cinderella dream—he would have 
food each day and a place to sleep at night. 

The performance would take place in a narrow 
alley, flanked with low buildings, or else in the end of 
a blind alley. Natives with tom toms and shrill pipes 
would serve to attract a crowd. When enough spectators 
were gathered one of the attendants would carefully in¬ 
crease the smudge from the incense until a suitable 
smoke screen was built up. The performer the mean¬ 
while would be untangling, coiling and arranging his 
ropes with care and great display, and then unostenta¬ 
tiously the prepared rope would be selected and thrown 
into the air. It would uncoil and remain in the air with 
a slight arc, the incense ascending in carefully regulated 
clouds, so that the end extending into the air was visi¬ 
ble at times and completely obscured in other intervals. 


392 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


At a command from the fakir the boy would run 
forward and begin to clamber up the rope, the fakir re¬ 
volving in a circle meanwhile. When the boy ascended 
the roofs of the shops he would pause until the rope 
swung over the edge of a roof and, making certain that 
a billow of smoke hid his action, would drop to the roof 
and scuttle away. The fakir would continue to revolve, 
the smoke would grow less and the fakir would com¬ 
mand the boy to descend. Upon receiving no reply he 
would seemingly grow angry and so jerk the rope that 
it would descend in a natural rope manner. The spec¬ 
tators would of course gasp and then display astonish¬ 
ment because the boy had not come hurtling down with 
the rope. 

At a call from the fakir, a muffled voice would re¬ 
ply, which when traced would emanate from a wicker 
basket placed against the building wall, outside of the 
circle of spectators, and when opened with great show 
of unwrapping of rope and unlocking of fastenings, the 
boy who had ascended the rope, would be found by an 
assistant, locked and sealed in the basket. 



When performed by one of the Indian fakirs, an 
artist in his craft whose every motion commands atten¬ 
tion, the rope trick is unsurpassed for effect. The con¬ 
struction of the rope is indicated in Figure 510. The 


393 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


sections are best machined from duralumin or from 
nickel steel rods, with hardened pins of the same mate¬ 
rial. Even with the best of high tensile-tested material, 
breakage may occur several times before a rope is ready 
for use; for the object is to keep the diameter of the 
finished rope down to normal size. The sheath may be 
of braided cotton, stained to the proper shade, and 
should be woven thick and firm enough so that upon 
flexure of the rope no bumps or protrusions of sections 
are visible. 

DAVID DEV ANT’S HINDOO ROPE TRICK 

The following account is that given by Mr. Devant 
himself. 

It is a sad reflection upon the limitation of human 
practitioners of the magical art that the one trick in 
which the public never seems to lose interest, and about 
which there has been more argument and controversy 
than any other magical manifestation, should be an il¬ 
lusion which the public has never seen. 

I refer, of course, to the “Indian Rope Trick,’’ that 
legendary feat of eastern magicians for whose reproduc¬ 
tion in England I once offered a salary of 5,000 pounds 
a year. There are many versions current regarding this 
trick and the only condition I made was that it should 
be presented in accordance with the broad outline of 
the generally accepted version. 

The magician was to stand in the open air sur¬ 
rounded by spectators and was to throw one end of a 
rope into the air, the other end remaining on the ground. 
The rope was to remain suspended in mid-air while a 
boy climbed up, suddenly to vanish into space. 


394 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

If the magician cared to embellish his performance 
in accordance with some of the more highly-colored ver¬ 
sions of this illusion, such as by himself climbing up 
the rope after the boy, cutting his assistant to pieces 
amid blood-curdling screams and sending the pieces of 
his body hurtling to earth, then, so much the better 
value we would be receiving for our 5,000 pounds. 

But, alas! For the annals of magic, it was not to be. 
Though my challenge was given the widest possible 
publicity, even to the extent of circulating specially- 
printed copies in India, no one came forward to claim 
the reward by achieving the impossible. For that is my 
considered opinion of the Indian Rope Trick—that, to 
present it in the form of my challenge, which basically 
agrees with most of the reported versions of the trick, 
is altogether beyond the limitations of scientific illusion 
and therefore, humanly impossible. 

That no one has ever seen an Indian Rope Trick 
performed I do not for one moment assert. The evi¬ 
dence of its existence in some form or another is alto¬ 
gether too strong to dismiss the whole thing as a myth, 
but I believe that the trick is largely a tale that has 
grown in the telling and that those who have seen rope 
tricks in India are confusing many partial memories into 
one general and erroneous impression. 

I have had personal experience of this tendency to 
unconscious exaggeration, particularly as regards mag¬ 
ical illusions, in hearing some of my own tricks de¬ 
scribed after a long interval. The narrators have almost 
invariably colored the facts with their own imagination, 
and credited me with achieving the most enviable of 
miracles. In fact, I have even been hailed as the only 


395 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


living magician ever to have produced the Indian Rope 
Trick on a London stage! 

As it happens, this tale has rather more basis of 
truth than most stories concerning the Indian Rope 
Trick because I did actually invent and present an il¬ 
lusion which reproduced the effects of this legendary 
trick as closely as any known principle of scientific il¬ 
lusion would permit. 

In my version of the Indian Rope Trick, I first drew 
attention to a basket, about the size of a large suitcase, 
which was resting upon a stand, clear of the ground. 
Airily flourishing the basket to demonstrate its light¬ 
ness, I then proceeded to unpack from it the dismem¬ 
bered portions of a man’s body, a head, a trunk and 
the normal complement of legs and arms. 

After the various portions had been publicly dis¬ 
played, and privately deemed “fakes” by my distrustful 
audience, they were carefully re-packed into the case 
and covered with a piece of cloth. Whereupon the cov¬ 
ering gradually rose up to disclose, at length, a full- 
grown, living Indian standing in the basket. 

The dismemberment and reunion of the Indian hav¬ 
ing been presented in accordance with the best tradi¬ 
tions of the rope trick, if not altogether in the correct 
sequence, it remained only for me to vanish the Indian 
from a rope that was hanging from the flies in the cen¬ 
ter of the stage and which had previously been shown 
to be both genuine and flexible. 

At this juncture, however, a diversion occurred and 
attention was called to a dining-room table which had 
been standing on the stage. After the table had been 
shown to have no connection with the ground other 


396 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


than its four legs, it was momentarily surrounded by 
two screens which, when removed by the Indian, dis¬ 
closed no prosaic dining-table but a coral cave in which 
reclined a pleasing princess of India. 

The lady having been duly admired, and her ar¬ 
tistic setting emphasized by a momentary turning-off 
of the stage lighting and the illumination of the cave by 
blue limelight, the presentation of the rope trick was 
resumed. 

Apologizing for my inability to defy the law of 
gravity to the extent of poising a rope vertically in mid¬ 
air, I once again drew attention to the rope hanging from 
the flies and sent the Indian climbing up it hand over 
hand. When he was some ten feet from the ground and 
in full view of the audience on the lighted stage, I tired 
a revolver—and instantly the Indian vanished into a 
puff of smoke. Down from the flies fell the dismem¬ 
bered portions of his body whereupon the princess, with 
a proper sense of delicacy, also vanished from the chair 
on which she had been sitting, leaving the magician 
alone upon an empty stage. 

And now to make retribution to some of the many 
thousands of people whom, for many years, I deceived 
with my “vanishing” Indians. 

First, the Indian’s emergence from the basket called 
for no great feat of magic, for he was actually in the 
basket, in company with his dismembered body, from 
the outset. It is surprising into how small a space the 
human body can be packed and though the basket was 
by no means of unusual size it could accommodate, ad¬ 
mittedly with a squeeze, the Indian and the dummy 
limbs. Its weight, of course, was more than I could lift, 


39 7 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


and my airy brandishing of the basket when I lifted it 
from its stand was facilitated by an iron rod which pro¬ 
jected from the stool and had attached to it, beneath the 
stage, a heavy weight so counterbalanced that 1 was able 
to lift the basket up carelessly with one hand. 

The Indian princess had a rather more comfortable 
resting place than the Indian. She was concealed in the 
top of the dining-room table which, though it appeared 
(and actually was) of normal thickness in front was, at 
the back, in the form of a wedge. The widest part af¬ 
forded sufficient space for her to lie down in compara¬ 
tive comfort. 

The conversion of the table top into a coral cave 
involved several seconds of rather hectic work on the 
part of the princess who, in the brief interval between 
the screens being placed around the table and their re¬ 
moval, had to reverse the table s flaps (on the underside 
of which the cave scenery was painted) set up a num¬ 
ber of ground-rows and yet be discovered reclining 
gracefully in her cave, evidencing no shortage of breath 
as the result of her not inconsiderable exertions. 

Incidentally, the introduction of this princess in¬ 
terlude was no purposeless elaboration of the illusion, 
but was essential to the presentation of the Indian Rope 
Trick. It provided me with my only possible opportunity 
for substituting a specially-prepared rope for the rope 
which had been hanging from the flies from the outset 
and whose flexibility and general innocence I had al¬ 
ready demonstrated to the audience. 

The substitution took place during the momentary 
blackout when the stage lights were lowered for the 
subdued blue illumination of the princess’s cave and 


398 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


the rope that hung from the flies when the lights came 
on again was actually a rope-covered metal casing. Con¬ 
cealed within this casing was a pair of “lazy-tongs” or 
expanding scissors, between the points of which hung a 
sheet of red velvet whose purpose will shortly be seen. 
The lazy-tongs could be actuated by a sliding rod inside 
the casing which also carried a strong hook. 

The Indian wore a special harness with a large ring 
attached to it, and when, it climbing the “rope,” he 
reached the hook, he dropped his ring over it, and let 
the hook take the whole of his weight. Immediately, 
the sliding rod, impelled by his suddenly-applied weight, 
actuated the lazy-tongs which shot out to their fullest 
extent, spreading the sheet of red velvet. This red vel¬ 
vet, completely covering the Indian and blending per¬ 
fectly with the red velvet back-cloth of the stage, ef¬ 
fectively concealed him from view, the illusion being 
helped by the wreathing smoke from the flash-powder 
that was electrically set off as I fired my revolver. 

The princess, at this stage, had long since disap¬ 
peared—quite unobtrusively, through a lift beneath the 
stool on which she had been sitting. Her exit—even 
had it been watched during the diversion caused by the 
Indian climbing the rope—would scarcely have been 
noticed as her flowing outer garments were mounted 
on a wire framework out of which she slipped, via the 
lift and in “deshabille” into the nether regions, leaving 
a lifelike framework dummy still seated on her stool. 

When the moment came for this dummy to disap¬ 
pear, under the same cover of smoke that had aided 
the Indian’s disappearance, the framework closed up 
with a spring-like suddenness and, with the entire inner 


399 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


part of the stool, was dropped through a trapdoor whose 
momentary opening was covered by a spring blind. 

Trapdoors, it will be seen, are to the modern ma¬ 
gician what charms and potions were to the wizards of 
an earlier age. The only difference is, perhaps, that when 
a modern magician employs a trapdoor he does at least 
know where he is sending his victim to, whereas the 
old-time wizard could only speculate as to the probable 
destination of the victims of his less successful potions. 


400 


ILLUSTRATION 

SECTION 







































































































































ILLUSTRATIONS 

The following pages are given over to all the illustrations 
made for this book, massed in this manner for the benefit of 
those magicians, who while conversant with Rope Magic and 
familiar, in most cases, with the text of many of the effects 
described, may wish from time to time to refer to the moves 
and manipulations depicted in these illustrations. They are 
grouped by sections as in the text, except that as much as pos¬ 
sible all the illustrations for each effect are brought together so 
that the magician may study the entire effect with unbroken 
continuity. 


Hunter’s Puzzle Knot 
Page 17 



403 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The Knot of Enchantment 
Page 21 



Any Number of Knots 
Page 23 



404 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Ferber’s Spectre Tie 
Page 25 



The Vanishing Square Knot 
Page 27 



405 













ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Ralph Hull’s Famous Varnishing Knot 
Page 27 



Chefalo’s Vanishing Knot 
Page 30 



406 


















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The Magic Shoe Laces 
Page 32 



John Braun’s Combination Knot 
Page 34 




407 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Jordan’s Mystifying Knot Trick 
Page 36 




408 


ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Ropes Through the Neck 
Page 41 


42 



Venable’s Improved Ropes Through Neck 
Page 42 



409 

























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Ropes and Rings Mystery 
Page 44 



Collins’ New Ropes and Rings Release 
Page 45 



410 


























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The 3-in-l Ropes 
Page 49 



Mimi-Cords 
Page 50 



411 




















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


The Leg Tie 
Page 55 



413 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Maskelyne’s Leg Tie 
Page 57 



Tenkai Rope Through Neck 
Page 58 



414 



















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


New Rope Through Neck 
Page 59 



415 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Handkerchief Release 
Page 61 



416 













ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Jay-Bee’s Undisturbed Knot 
Page 63 






417 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Vest Turning Trick 
Page 65 




418 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


New Ring on Rope 
Page 68 



“Cheeky” Rope and Ring Trick 
Page 71 



419 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Smith’s Rope and Ring Trick 
Page 72 



The Dropping Ring 
Page 74 



420 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




Wholesale Ring Removal 
Page 76 



42 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Eddie Joseph’s Ringed 
Page 80 





Adams’ Rope and Ring Experiment 
Page 82 



422 























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



Rope Through Stick 
Page 85 




423 














ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Famous Keller String Trick 
Page 91 



425 



















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Germaine’s String Restoration 
Page 93 



426 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Berg s Japanese Paper String Restoration 
Page 94 



Figure “ 8 ” String Restoration 
Page 96 



Twyno 
Page 99 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Impromptu String Restoration 
Page 101 



428 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Master Cut and Restored String 
Page 107 



Blodgett’s Double Restoration 
Page 109 



429 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


L. W. Package Cord Mystery 
Page 111 



152 


Kolar’s Straw and String Trick 
Page 118 



430 

















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Thayer’s Wizzo 
Page 123 





431 



























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Hindoo Rope Restoration 
Page 129 



Bluey-Bluey’s Method 
Page 131 



433 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Impey’s Impromptu Method 
Page 132 



434 


















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 

Dr. Ervin's Rope Restoration 
Page 134 




Page 136 



182 



435 





























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


R. W. Hull’s Stretching Rope 
Page 143 



Sharpe’s A Rope Repaired 
Page 149 



436 



















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Goodrum’s Sleight of Hand Method 
Page 151 



437 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Verheyden’s Method 
Page 154 



c 



438 






























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




A X 


205 



lot 


If 

\ 

1 

207 


439 









ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Tarbell’s “Many Cut” Rope Mystery 



440 





















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Zenith Rope Restoration 
Page 160 



Grant’s 1933 Rope Trick 
Page 162 




441 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




Grant’s Sleight of Hand Rope Trick 
Page 165 

















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



443 


















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



444 


















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




445 
























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 














ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Heisey’s Hindu Rope Trick 
Page 169 








447 









ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 





448 













ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRJCKS 


L. W. Simplicity Rope Trick 
Page 179 



L. W, Vinculum 
Page 182 



449 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Douglas Magic Skipping Rope 
Page 188 



Ringing the Bull 
Page 192 



450 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Jamison’s Severed Rope 
Page 195 



Baf fleso! 
Page 197 



451 
















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Grant’s Stage Rope Restoration 
Page 200 



L. W. Lost Chord 
Page 204 



Brema’s Convincing Rope Trick 
Page 206 



452 





ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



MM9§ 


lill 

liHI 

iilllll 


HP 


286 



287 


453 



























































































































































































































































































































































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



288 



289 


454 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



290 



455 




ENCYCLOPEDIA Of ROPE TRICKS 



292 


Freer’s Aladdin Oriental Gimmick 
Page 212 



456 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Lidcfle’s Phenomenal Rope Trick 
Page 215 



457 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Hull’s Marked Rope and Thumb Tack 
Page 224 



459 























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Grant's Super Rope Trick 
Page 232 



Tarbell Rope Mystery 
Page 242 



461 






























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



462 

























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



325 



327 



463 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



2>79 




464 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



465 










ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



466 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



356 


B 


t t 

G»/*vnkk 

4 4 


357 


358 


t 

G»/*\*mck 

4 f 

==*=i^ 


cur 


467 















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




468 














ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 





469 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



Nowroji’s Restoration 
Page 272 




470 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Ball Them Up 
Page 273 



Nu-Cut Rope 
Page 275 



Encore Rope Trick 
Page 277 



471 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




384 


472 













ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Cairy’s Follow Me Rope Routine 
Page 284 



Youp Pope. Rope 
396 




473 



















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



391 


474 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Reilly’s Rope Trick 
Page 289 



475 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




Aoo 



The Baker Takes a Cut 
Page 301 




476 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



L. W. Great Divide 
Page 303 



Gessing-Gordon Rope Trick 
Page 305 

405 



4o6 


477 
































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Bjorklund’s Slow Motion Restoration 


Page 306 




m 














ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Marvel Cut and Restored Rope 
Page 308 




479' 










ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


“J. M.” Rope Trick 
Page 311 






480 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



Burling Hull’s “Miracle” Rope Restoration 
Page 315 




481 












ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 







482 





















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



442 . 











ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



444 




484 














ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 






485 
















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


L. W. Double Restoration 
Page 335 



Zenith Rope Restoration 
Page 337 



486 



























ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


“Maxam” Triple Cut Rope Trick 
Page 340 



487 
































































































































































































































































































encyclopedia of rope tricks 


Stabbing the Loop 
Page 349 





The Bachelors Needle 
Page 350 



489 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 




Same Ring — Same Finger 
Page 353 



490 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Ropes of Bengal 
Page 362 




491 































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 





492 










































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



Hanson’s Climax Rope Trick 
Page 366 



493 








ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



494 






















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Slater’s Moth and Rope 
Page 377 



Vanishing Boy 
Page 382 



495 
































ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 


Dunninger’s East Indian Rope Trick 
Page 385 



496 



















ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



.WIRE. 


Batted 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROPE TRICKS 



Hook 


508 




J. K. Wright's Indian Rope Trick 
Page 391 



498 






















































































































































































































































































































































’ 


















































































































































































4 










































































































% 
























■ 











































































































































































i 



























































































,.*v 

VMiV^ V fi 



^ ?J JV » SliS 5 * w -W/) 

££\V * ‘>^K° • l >!^>°o * *>^K° 

* «bv* * Jills Ad* ^ - a. 

• v°s. :«l^o ^o, * 


w 


(|& # ; t-f =W: V f|||'= : | 


r,/' ^ ‘ 


w * 


s. °XP/ \qffc J*\ V , 

W '^O* 0 ’* ' L> O ^^c^Ui^ 5 , . 


^ * 


*/!,.A^y, 


^ va z - J z r V< - , 

'k * »tiir ° aVA o <T c5?^ 0 j o ,vA 

x ^ ^ ° 4 w/ J? ^ %«sp^ ^ ^ o i 


^ * 


• "©**»**>**> ONO 




% Q> 


>> --.V—>r. c 


V, <> —' v'v'V * °* < 

'* -& A * > - s “ 1 

* -5 



* ®SI& * <y % 0 w/W? <*" 

V* V^** V * •“*.v° * i *V 

-o* .& *Ji§: g* :£Im: V : 


jy % *7rr % * 

jr c o*<M 4^ * * 


*'-m •• >A^>:’:. • .rv 

’ ;A;V*. W 




u 

y * M*® * * 

^ a “j\i'‘ * * 4 aA * L, «/<it> * 

°o ^ 

^ov 4 

r , v°^. 

V.o° * 




■<V 


^Vi^,V° * VV°«* V * • i, */v° * ^ c 

M: Is? :'| 1 |-V. # Stf: V 

'f 2JB1I - v<^ -H|: “SSH*, ■$>•<? *A«I 


•A 


c3 JV> 


v 5 « 


V °*'W , 4 * A>" '«V ;■»«■ - , 

'‘\\*° * o^°^"“vV' * * *1^- * l '* Ai 

% V,. cr °0 .A* .* 


* 5f> ^ 
. >o x 


$ <5 » ^ C-* <y vt *t{ljP&r t 

^6 Cr c° wc ^ *b x 

50, 


sR-V\ -.fm; A : -w.; VHR: ,* 0 ^ 

- ,/.. • ..V , V**""’ vt. 5 

* :#%°« ^ f#%: w -<rmg: 


rt ^ <0 


* 5 oW; <^ J k » «»? ^ v \. 




A-O 

• #V»'- 


’ * '*fj. O s n O A 

^ - ^>o<t 


^toV5>°,. f \; 

^ <3 c> ■<» V>\k ^ . < - 

* .rJ\W/Vi_o •?* 5? >? 


5rc?> 


INC. 

9 B 2594 

5 N MANCHESTER, 
INDIANA 46962 


o ^°A 

/-‘o'V.n*’/, 

■W‘M\//' 

<-s^ 0 J o aa 0-7 

A ^ 'wiiw * VA ^ 

'V 0 ,ll /‘°" c ’X^ ” • 4 ^* L, */v oVkV tf 

W. V:»;V 


i^.‘ <*r o n * 

lo no° A?r .. * _ Pa. 


± o 


r ACT 

AOz 


































































































































